


Charlene Moon and the Olympians

by orphan_account



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M, I don't know what I'm doing, If you hate OCs you better stop there, Just a goof for my personal pleasure, M/M, My first published fic so please don't be harsh on me, Original story written around the Heroes of Olympus books - Freeform, Tons of OCs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-15 05:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11224323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Charlene Moon, a 15 years old highschool student, who lived a relatively normal life until one day she got thrown into the life of a demigod. Follow her adventures towards getting herself and her family know better and probably help save the planet along the way.DISCLAIMER: This fic is written around an OC I created so if you hate fics with OCs I have warned you :dI do NOT own any of the Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus characters and I do NOT own the original story of either of those book series.





	1. Charlene Moon, the brightest person you will ever know

When you have to dodge sharp talons and claws as you ran for your life, you know you seriously messed something up.

  
But, lets not jump ahead that much. Let me tell you about my boring every day life first. I know you want to hear it. Oh. You don't? Well, that's too bad, because I'm going to tell you anyway, and make you pity me and my miserable existence. If you think you have something better to do than listen to me ranting on about my life, well, I can't stop you from leaving, can I?

  
Okay, I'll admit it, my life is not that dramatic, but I'm a 15 year old edgy teenage girl full of angst. What did you expect? Anyway, let's cover the basics first.

  
I was born in a small hospital in the outsikrts of New York on the 23rd of October. My name is Charlene Moon. I know, weird surname, but blame my biological mother for that crime. She gave me this horrid boyish name and then dropped me off. I was adopted by a young couple and was brought to Manhattan Beach a few weeks after I was born.

  
This is the part where I should say that I have horrible foster parents, and my life went downhill the moment my genetical parents dumped me. But that would be a lie. My foster parents are the best in the world, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I will fight you. I'm just joking of course but they really are incredible. I lived in a huge house and always got what I deserved and I never felt unloved.

  
Samantha Moon, my foster mom, is a very good natured, bright, very hard-working and intelligent woman. She is witty and cheerful, but very serious when required. She is the director of several art galleries in New York and several overseas too. She is a great admirer of art and she is known for giving chances to young ambitional artists who want to get recognised. She took me to her galleries a lot and we admired the works together, even contacted some of the artists to give them tips and contacts to other galleries my mom thought they could show off their work at too. She is a truly admirable person.

  
Professor George Moon, my foster dad, is truly awesome. He is a professor at the nearby university where he gives lectures about ancient cultures and mythology, occasionly giving professional advice to museums about ancient artifacts and traveling around the country to digging sites. I often visit him after school at the university and I regularly sit in his lectures to listen to him talking passionately and lively about ancient history. We like to sit down when we have the time and watch stupid Hollywood blockbuster movies that mispresent mythological facts and events and laugh our heads off, especially about the more recent Marvel movies with Thor and the Norse gods. My father isn't the most outgoing type of guy, but he is awesome in my eyes and he is reliable, always with us when we need him with mom.

  
So they are pretty cool right? They are understanding and supportive, they make me feel loved, welcomed and accepted to the point that I don't care who my biological parents were. Sometimes I felt like I didn't even deserve them. I wasn't normal compared to the other kids at my age by any means and I know it wasn't easy for them.

  
For starters, I was born with ADHD and dyslexia. Great, isn't it? Well, thanks to my ADHD, It's hard for me to focus on certain things and I'm always twitchy and fiddly. Thanks to that I was restless and I tried dosens of sports and even martial arts to help me burn some of that energy and fidgety behaviour. My parents didn't mind, they actually encouraged me and attended to most of the sport related events I had to go to, cheering me up enthusiastically. Because of that, I'm pretty athletic and stand my ground in hand to hand fights. Something most teenagers don't really necessarily need, especially young girls. Then again, I'm not most teenagers.

  
During classes, I draw and scribble in my notebooks to help me focus on the subject. I've became pretty good at drawing over the years since I figured out that it actually helped with my focus problems and restless hands. I don't draw realistic stuff, more like cartoonish caracters and animals from TV shows and anime. My teachers mostly don't mind, as they are quite used to it by now and they know I take my notes and actually pay attention to what they are saying on each class, unlike most of my classmates. Drawing keeps my hands preoccupied and help me focus on a task while the teacher explains what we write down in our notebooks.

  
Despite my dyslexia, I love to read. I especially love ancient mythology and studies about prehistoric life on Earth before humans even existed. You could say I'm a dinosaur geek. I've read the Jurassic Park books at least five times and I saw all the movies, including Jurassic World, a hundred times and I still can't get bored of them. I love detective novels too, and I find Sherlock Holmes utterly fascinating. One of my favourite detective book series are "The Three Investigators". I find it really enderading how three kids solve mysteries even the police couldn't wrap their heads around or just didn't know were happening and it never stops them how adults seem to underestimate them. It's really entertaining to read about their adventures and I love how their conversations with each other portray their personalities and dinamic perfectly. I like reading on the beach mostly. The wawes and the comforting salty fresh air helps me relax and read more easily. It's almost like meditation. I love swimming and diving in general. It's like you enter a whole different universe when you are underwater. Plus sea creatures are stinking cute.

  
Well, how do I put this. The thing is, I'm often mistaken for a boy. I don't mind that much, because let's face it. I kinda look like one, and my physique or name doesn't help either. My body is quite built with muscles, even compared to most of the boys around my age, all thanks to my sport activities and restlessness. Other people stress eat, I stress run and workout. Though, I'm very short, which can be an advanatge some of the times but it mostly annoys me. My skin is pretty light, almost pale, even though I'm outside quite a lot. One time I was even sent to get my blood tested in a hospital, because my doctor thought my blood had to do something with my pale skin, and it turned out my skin is just very light in colour. Nothing more to that. What a suprise right? You don't have to a be a doctor to tell that much, but oh well. I'm only salty about it because I hate needles. Whatever.

My dirtblond hair is short cut and not sytled in any way. It's more like a mess, or a pile of hay really, but I couldn't bring myself to care much. I kept my head clean but other than that I went to school with the same hair I got up with. Well, sometimes my mom tried to do something with it but she eventually let it go. My fellow girl classmates liked to joke that I never combed my hair and I should have been using the boy's bathroom because I'm not feminine at all. Which was fair enough, but it still made me feel like an outcast among people because boys gave me dirty looks all the time as well. The only girly thing about me was propably the beltbuckle my biological parents left with me. It's an oval shaped buckle with a scallop shell shaped aquamarine stone in the middle, golden patterns of jumping dolphins decorating the edge of the buckle. It is really beautiful and I didn't have the heart to throw it away. My mother, bless her heart, tried to take me to shopping in malls and stuff like that, but I didn't enjoy it so she dropped it after a while. I don't understand fashion and I feel the best in comfortable clothes rather than wearing trendy branded clothes that cost a fortune.

  
Being the outcast I am, I was the weird girl who always sat in the front row, always taking her notes and doing everything people expected her to do. Never taking part in any argument or conversation, most of the time lost in her own world. I didn't really talk to my classmates because I found it hard to be interested in the, for me at least, pointless things they talked about. Some of them probably thought I was mute and deaf or something like that, because they liked to talk about me nonsense when I was a few feet away from them. They did a lot of things I didn't understand. Cheating on tests, cursing even just as a joke, mistreating each other just because they were different or because people were close minded and homophobic, or just simply racist. I never really got bullied to the point it would have mattered, because words didn't faze me and people didn't get physical with me, even after they mostly acknowledged me as a boy rather than a girl.

  
Something added to my weird vibe though. My eyes are kind of a turqoise colour with a thin yellow line around the iris. But that's not the interesting part. You see, I wear glasses around people when I'm not home. Not real glasses, my eyesight is perfect. It's something I have to wear. When I was around 11 years old, I started noticing that my eyes have peculiar effects on people. The first incident happened with a former classmate of mine, a girl named Jessica.

  
I was sitting at my desk, doodling away in my sketchbook when I heard her say something so stupid to her friends, that I actually snorted a laugh. She called me out on it, and I admitted I found her dumb comment quite hilarious and absurd. She glared at me square in the eye and threw insults at me, which only resulted in me saying "Go back to sleep, Jessica" sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. To that, her eyes actually rolled back in her head and she collapsed on the floor, snoring loudly. Her friends couldn't shake her awake and they desperately asked what I had done to her. I was quite baffled myself, but at my first attempt at shaking her awake and calling out her name, she bolted up from her spot disoriented and didn't know what she was doing previously. It was kinda funny, but mostly just weird and a bit scary to be honest.

  
Another more serious incident happened maybe a year later with an old running team member of mine named Andrew. I experienced that boys really don't like it when a boyish looking girl beats them at their game, especially in front of their friends when they are trying to make fun of you. He was cockier than me, but wasn't a better runner. When I outran him during practice in a friendly competition, he came in my personal space and tried to push me over the edge and make me as angry as him with petty insults. I only told him with a blank face that he could jump off the school building for all I cared. To my surprise, he blinked a few times and slowly walked backwards from me, and started to walk towards the school from the field without a word to the coach or his friends. They called after him but he didn't stop. When I realized what he was doing, he was at the edge of the top of the school building, ready to step off. I shouted for him to stop it and step back from the edge, to which he stumbled backwards confused, seemingly forgotten what he was doing. Nobody knew what was going on my, but I had the suspicion that my eyes were responsible for that mess.

  
I told my parents everything and what I thought had happened, feeling scared and nervous that they wouldn't believe me. To that, they only shared a worried look and told me it was okay and that I wasn't going crazy. They gave me a pair of glasses and told me to wear them outside the house so nothing like that would happen again. The glasses worked for some reason, and I felt protected and more encouraged to make eye contact with people, although they could never look directly at my eyes when I had my glasses on.

  
That covers my weirdness mostly. If you think you can handle even more weirdness, well, feel free to continue reading. But be warned, I don't take responsibility for your mental health and sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading .w./  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w./


	2. I run for my life and befriend a satyr on the go

You know, the weirdest things happen on the seemingly most uneventful days. When my life went upside down, it wasn't an exeption either.

  
It started like every other boring day in my life. Get up at 6 am, eat breakfast with whoever is up between my parents, leave for the bus that takes me to school at 7.15 am and sit in school until 2 pm then go to practice. Seriously, I only spent one and almost half year in highschool, but I already hated it. You would think that as kids grow, their intelligence grows too, and by the time they start highschool they would start to leave behind their ridiculously childish behaviour. Well, I was quite wrong. In highschool there are a whole new speacies of stupid people. I was baffled how could someone be so utterly ignorant and close minded as highscool students tend to be. Fortunately there are exceptions, but you can divide most of those other people in groups by their basic charater treats. No wonder Hollywood likes to portray us like completely ignorant idiots. I felt even more of an outcast than in middle school. I took up a lot of sports activities and attended an art club on Tuesdays, and basically that was all the joy I got from it. It took several months for my teachers to understand that; no, I was not, in fact doodling during class because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Well, of course the majority of my classes were boring as hell but that's not the point. I still paid attention the best I could.

  
Highschool students can be really obnoxious people. I thought older students were probably less judgemental and more open minded, but boy was I wrong. Highschool lets students practice a very advanced level of racism, homophobia and bullying in general. Appearantly, reputation and popularity is important there. Who knew? Something I can't wrap my head around until this day.

  
I experienced bullying for the first few weeks when I started going there. At first students thought I was a boy and called me gay and stupid stuff like that, then found out that I was in fact a girl and made fun of my appearance, name, and lack of feminie treats. They took away my sketchbooks and gave me a hard time just in general. When they saw I didn't care what they said about me and It didn't faze me when they snached away my sketchbooks, they started to push me against lockers and just push me around when they could. That of course got old fast as I dodged their every attempt at even touching me without effort after a while thanks to my reflexes. When It was time for sport teams to recruit new members, and I joined every possible team my schedule let me, people who looked down on me devenloped a basic appreciation to me. They respected that I wanted to be left alone and stopped trying to harrass me for the second half of the school year. That didn't stop them from hurting other people, but they left me alone.

  
So, as you can guess I wasn't very fond of the place. So when I had the time after practice, I went to the university my dad worked at. I liked to just sit in his lectures and listen. I never found it hard to concentrate when he was speaking. Somehow he always held my attention despite my ADHD and I knew most of the things he spoke about by heart, but it never got boring for me. He liked to make ridiculous jokes and puns during his lectures and the students seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did. After a while, a small group of students approached me out of curiousity and asked me why they never saw me around campus, only during my dads lectures. I told them about my relation with my dad and my interest in ancient cultures and mythology. Even though they were all around 18-19 years old and seemingly we had nothing in common, they insisted on getting to know me better. I was hesistant at first, but I decided to give it a go. They turned out to be pretty interesting people and we shared a lot of interests.

  
There was Emily, a petite brunette girl with a very bubbly personality. She loved comicbook superheroes and always wore shirts with quotes from iconic movies. Then there wss Danny, Emily's boyfriend, who was much more serious than his girlfriend, but not stiff either. He was very tall and he dyed his chocolate brown hair with red streaks for no appearant reason. We loved to argue about TV shows and books. Then last but not least, Matthew. He had olive coloured skin and chaselnut brown hair with blue eyes. He was athletic like me and he played in the university basketball team. He loved prehistoric creatures and dinosaurs as much as me, and we could banter about them for hours. It never got old. Emily and Danny said that we turned into children whenever the subject comed up and said that we were adorable. So all in all, they were good people. They had a good sense of humour and they were very accepting. On most days, after my dad's lecture ended, we sat in a fastfood restaurant and went over the notes they took during class together and discussed assignments, or just spoke about mundane every day topics. We talked about movies, TV shows, books and things like that. I told them when someone had done something extremely stupid at school and they got a good laugh. It was good. I felt better in their company.

  
On that specific day, the 19th of December, I had finished at school, soccer practice on that particular afternoon, and had been to a lecture as always. We sat in a fast food restaurant afterwards, sipping our warm drinks and munching our junkfood. It was close to the end of the year and it was pretty cold outside. We sat in the corner of the restaurant, our regular place and chatted about nothing in particular as we ate. Emily sat with Danny on one side, while me and Matt sat on the other.

  
Emily sighed and rubbed her hands down her face "It's soooo cold outside. I will explode at this rate. I want summer already!" she whined and pouted as she glared outside at the street, like it would warm the air up somehow "Thank god we are so close to the holiday" she turned to look at me "What are your plans for the holiday by the way?" she rested her head lazily on one hand, blinking at me.

  
What my plans were? I had honestly no idea. Probably going to the sports centre for some swimming and work out to burn leftover energy, reading and drawing. Nothing special.

  
I shrugged as I chewed on a fry "Not much. Continuining my sport activities, spending some time with my family, and reading mostly. Just relaxing in general"

  
"You should totally hang out with us" she beamed "Next week we are going to the termal baths and relax. After that I'm hosting a small get together at my house. Kind of like a New Year party, but it would be only the three of us and my parents. Would you like to come?" they were all looking at me expectantly.

  
I didn't know how to answer. I liked their company and It felt good that they thought about me as someone they wanted to celebrate with, but I wasn't that much of a social person. I liked to do most of my things alone. I wasn't sure what I wanted.

  
"You don't have to if you don't want to. We just thought it would be more fun to play beach ball at the termal baths with four people. These two are helpless against me" Matt pointed at the couple.

  
Emily huffed "We are going to beat you this time. Right?" she turned to look ad Danny.

  
"It's so on dude" Danny grinned and put an arm around Emily.

  
"Two against one? Doesn't sound like a fair match to me" I lifted an amused eyebrow.

  
"See? We need you. I need an ally" Matt smiled, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

  
I wasn't sure it was a good idea, but I didn't want to ruin the mood either. I cleared my throat "I-I'll think about it" with that we changed the subject, and continued chatting until we finished our food and parted ways in front of the restaurant. I made my way to the bus stop and checked the arrival of the bus that went in the direction of Manhattan Beach. I spent several minutes waiting in the cold, so much that my fingers started to go numb.

  
I checked the time on my phone. I frowned down at the screen and pocketed it again. The bus should have arrived minutes ago. I decided to walk to the next bus stop instead, that was a few blocks away. I had some leftover food in a paperbag and I planned to eat it later, but I opened the bag and munched on fries as I walked. The streets were quiet and deserted, like in a horror movie. I was used to it so I walked calmly, listening to the occasional far away sirens.

As I rounded a corner, something ran into me and knocked me off my feet. I fell on the ground with a thud. My backpack moderated my fall mostly and my paperbag was still in my hand by some miracle. A soft groan brought my attention to the person who ran into me. The first thing I noticed was that he had hooves. And horns. He looked just like the creatures called satyrs from Greek mythology.

  
I slowly stood up and extended my hand to him. He had ginger curly hair and a goate and he wore a jacket and a scarf like me. He took my hand and I pulled him to his feet. He said a soft "Thanks" and picked up a pan pipe from the ground.  
"You are a satyr" I stated as he dusted himself off, looking behind the corner warily where he came from.

  
"Uh. Correct" he turned back to me.

  
He extended his hand "Grover Underwood" he introduced himself. I took his hand and shook it firmly "Charlene Moon"

  
"You have a strong hand. Have we met before? I can tell you are a demigod but I feel like I haven't seen you around" he rubbed his goate.

  
A Greek satyr was talking to me. In New York. And he said I was a demigod.

  
"Am I dreaming?" I blurted out.

  
"What?" he furrowed his brows in confusion.

  
"I must have hit my head pretty hard. You are a satyr. You shouldn't even exist, let alone talk" I gestured at him and ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

  
"Woah take it easy man" he held up his hands "You are not crazy. My bad, you didn't know you were a demigod" he spoke slowly like that would have made me feel better.

  
"Why were you running anyway?" I ignored that he referred to me as 'man'. Like, seriously? I don't have tinkling fairy voice but It's not that deep either.

  
He looked behind the corner again "I was speaking with my resources when a group of harpies attacked me and started to chase me around Manhattan. I think I lost them but you never know" he shrugged.

  
"Resources?" I tilted my head.

  
"Yeah. My best friend disappeared for a few days now and I'm looking for him. Well, a lot of people are looking for him. He is important to us" he sniffed. I felt kind of bad for him. He looked like a kicked puppy. Or baby goat in this case.

  
"Look. I have to get home so my parents won't freak out. So, if I'm not dreaming and this is all you wanted, I would like to go now" I checked if I had everything with me and if I didn't drop anything.

  
"How old are you?" he asked suddenly.

  
"I don't know why this is important, but 15" I answered carefully.

  
He sit his lips in a thin line and tapped his hooves against the pavement in an impatient gesture.

  
"Actually, you should come with me" he said finally.

  
"Excuse me?" I narrowed my eyes at him and took a step backwards.

  
"I don't want to hurt you, but this place is not safe. I can't explain everything, but if you came with me there is a place named Camp Half-Blood, where people like you find safety" he looked around with worry written all over his face.

  
"What do you mean people like me?" I was starting to get very impatient and frustrated. He wasn't giving me any reasonable information. A summer camp where kids find safety? What was that supposed to mean?

  
"No time to explain. Just come and-" he was cut off as shrieks and the sound of flapping wings filled the quiet New York air.

  
"Let me guess. The harpies you mentioned" I set my lips in a thin line as he nodded and held the pan pipe closer to himself.

  
"Any brilliant ideas?" the sounds became louder and louder.

  
"Uh. Run?" he shrugged.

  
So we ran, for quite a while. Grover could barely keep up with me despite his goat legs and wheezed louder and louder as minutes went by. The harpies however, once they spotted us, just kept chasing us and closing in on us despite our efforts. I made the mistake of making the wrong turn at one corner and we ran in an alley that ended dead. We span around and I saw at least 10 harpies baring their sharp talons at us. They were uglier than I had imagined them when I first read about them in my dad's books. They had the body of a bird and an ugly face of a woman. They all looked dirty and scrawny, like they hadn't eaten anything for weeks.

  
"Now what?" I panted as the harpies rounded us and cornered us in the small alleyway.

  
"I can keep a few of them preoccupied but not for long. I'm not much of a fighter" his legs were shaking and his breathing was labored from the running.

  
_"Use the buckle, Charlene"_ a pleasant and smooth female voice spoke in my head, and I felt a soft warm breeze caress my face.

  
I frowned down at my beltbuckle "Use my buckle?" I took it off my belt. It had a faint golden light around the edges and the aquamarine shell shone bright blue. I had no idea what I was doing, but following my insticts, I pressed in the aquamarine stone like a button, which give a small clicking sound in return. My beltbuckle turned into a 2 feet long dual bladed sword with an almost blinding golden light. The blade shimmered like gold and glew faintly, with ancient greek letters craved in the middle of it. The aquamarine shell was now between the hilt and the blade, still giving a faint blue glow. The hilt was wrapped in smooth leather which seemed brand new and soft in my hand. The whole sword looked like it was just forged a minute ago and handed to me. It felt really nice in my hand and it barely weighed anything. I've had held sparring swords before, but none of them felt so comfortable in my hand. The harpies looked at each other and flew slightly backward a few feet.

  
"Woah. You didn't tell me you had a sword" Grover gaped at me.

  
"I didn't know I had one either" I tilted the word in my hand.

  
The harpies seemed to gain confidence again as they saw I didn't know what to do, and started to close in us again. I still had my paperbag in my hand with the leftover food, which gave me an idea. I remembered that harpies often stole food.

  
"Grover, you said you could hold up some of them for a while" he nodded "Good. I will distract them with some food, and you hold up the rest until I can kill them. Sounds good?"

  
He sighed "Not the crasiest plan I've ever heard. Let's do this" he lifted his pan pipe to his mouth and nodded.

  
"Oi! Feather-brains! Look what I got for you!" I opened the paperbag and shook out what was left of my fries and my burger a few feet ahead of us on the street. Five of them immediately leaped over and started screeching and biting at each other for the food. Grover started playing on his pipe a slow tune, to which branches shot through the ground and wrapped themsleves around the remaining harpies. The monsters trashed and clawed at the branches but they couldn't get free.

  
"Hurry! It won't hold them long. If I'm right, your sword is made of celestial bronze. One good swing will be enough for each of them" I didn't question him. I took a deep breath and grasped the hilt of my sword tightly. I broke into a run and marched right at the harpies fighting for my burger. I dodged their claws and wings until I could manage a good swing. I was suprised when I brought down my sword on the first one, and it instantly vaporized into ash. After the first one, the rest was easy to kill. When only a pile of ash was left of them, I jumped to the other five trashing in the branches and cut them off as well. As soon as the remaining harpies vanished, the roots retreated and disappeared into the ground where they came from.

  
I pressed the aquamarine shell on the sword and it turned back into my beltbuckle with a click. I placed it back on my belt and walked back to Grover.

  
"I'm covered in monster dust" I frowned at him and shook my arms, clouds of dust flowing off of me.

  
He chuckled "That should be the least of our problems" he put his pipe away into a pocket on his jacket and fixed his scarf "You fought great. You remind me of someone" he smiled sadly "Anyway" he cleared his throat "We better get going before we attract other monsters" we walked cautiously from the alley to the streets and looked around. He suddenly gasped "I know this place. We are close to the house of my missing friend. Would you mind paying his mother a visit?" he looked hopefully at me.

  
I sighed "Fine" his face lit up instantly "But not for long. I have to get home as soon as possible" he held up his hands "Fine by me man" he didn't see me roll my eyes, but I didn't have the energy to correct him. After a short walk we arrived at a five-story brick row house. We climbed the front steps and Grover pressed the buzzer.

  
Static from the buzzer, then a click "Hello?" a woman's pleasant voice came through.  
"Sally. It's me, Grover" he said in a hurried tone.

  
"Grover" she sounded surprised "What brings you here?" she didn't sound unpleasedly surprised, quite the opposite actually.

  
"Can you let us in? I wouldn't want to stand there too long" Grover kept glancing behind us from time to time.

  
"O-Of course. Come in dear" the front door buzzed and we piled in, shutting the door behind us. We climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and Grover knocked on the door.

  
A stunning middle aged woman opened the door. She had beautiful sparkling blue eyes that changed colour in the light and warm brown hair with grey streaks. She smiled brightly and stepped sideways to let us in. She looked surprised to see me, but didn't comment on it. She closed the door behind us and led us to the livingroom.

  
"Any word from Percy?" Grover looked down guilty and shook his head "I see..." she sighed and I felt a bit like crying just seeing her get so sad so fast.

  
"And who is this young lady?" she turned to smile at me.

  
"Lady?" I could only forgive him because he looked hilarious when he was confused "O-Oh I'm so sorry I assumed-" I held up a hand to silence him, chuckling slightly "Don't worry about it. Common mistake. Plus, I didn't correct you" I shrugged. He nodded but he still flushed red to the tip of his ears and avoided looking directly at me.

  
"Charlene Moon" I turned back to our host and extended my hand "Sally Jackson" she smiled and blew off the ash that stuck to her from my hand, with a small laugh.

  
"I'm sorry. I didn't have time to clean up after our recent encounter with harpies" I scratched the back of my neck feeling embarrassed.

  
She wawed it off "Don't worry about it dear. Go ahead, use the bathroom. I will get ready some clothes you can change into" she nudged me into the bathroom and rushed off, presumably at the direction of the bedrooms. I took off my jacket and scarft, and folded them over a chair in the corner. I washed my face and my arms, and combed the dust out of my hair with wet hands. I emerged from the bathroom feeling much fresher. Sally led me to a bedroom and left me to change. I chaged into a pair of jeans combined with my belt and a plain blue T-shirt. I kept my combat boots on, but I washed off the dirt of them with a wet paper towel. I put my dirty clothes away in my backpack and walked back to the livingroom. Grover and Mrs. Jackson were sitting on the couch with a plate of blue chocolate chip cookies. I found it interesting, but didn't comment on it.

  
"Thank you, Mrs. Jackson. I feel much better" I smiled gratefully.

  
"Don't even mention it dear, but please, call me Sally" she smiled and gestured for me to sit down, offering me some cookies. I took one and munched on it as Grover continued to speak. I wondered how much she reminded me of my mom.

  
"Nymphs, dryads, naiads and the children of nature are all very uneasy in general" he frowned "They couldn't say where Percy is of course" he sighed and looked down in his lap. Sally patted his hand "You are doing your best dear. I'm sure wherever Percy is, he is fighting for us as always" she didn't sound that convinced of her own words, but I could understand her desperation.

  
"What do you mean children of nature are uneasy? Did something happen?" I asked curiously.

  
Grover nodded grimly "A few days ago a group of demigods turned up at our camp, one of them didn't remember anything besides his last name and used Roman terms instead of Greek and he seemed to know a lot too despite his amnesia. He and his two other friends were chosen on a quest to free Hera from a prison" he faltered and took a shaky breath "We suspect that Gaia is stirring with his children, the giants, and plan to rule again" he fell quiet.

  
"Gaia? The earth mother?" I was suprised. I've read about what she had done to her husband, Ouranos, but I didn't know much about her besides that. She didn't sound pleasing though.

  
"Yes. She is going to wake soon, and she plans to destroy all humans on Earth. If those demigods manage to free Hera before the deadline of the quest, we hope we can prevent her waking and find Percy too" he looked really broken and tired.

  
I nodded and set my half eaten cookie on a plate, my appetite for sweets completely gone. Sally didn't look much better either. I cleared my throat and stood up from the couch "May I call my parents? They must be worried sick"

  
"Of course. Don't make them wait" I nodded and got in the bathroom with my phone. I searched my contact list for my mom's number and called her cellphone.

  
She picked up almost instantly "Where are you?! We have called the school and your friends from the university but nobody knew anything! Did something happen?" I waited until she calmed down to answer her "I'm fine, mom. But answer me honestly. Did you know my parents?"

  
"Charlene..." she didn't have to say more. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to calm myself "We have met your mother. Briefly. But it never mattered. You are our daughter and we love you more than anything" I could tell she was close to crying, and honsetly, I couldn't bring myself to be angry with them anyway.

  
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, pacing in the small room "It's okay mom. I'm not mad at you" I really wasn't.

  
"You are not?" she sounded relieved "No. So...you knew I wasn't normal?" I bit my lower lip.

  
She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke again "We knew you were special...Your biological mother warned us that you might have difficulties. She gave us your glasses" she paused "I'm sorry we weren't honest with you. You seemed content and happy and you solved every problem that came your way. You are the best daughter anyone could ask for and we are so proud of you, Charlene" she was sobbing quietly.

  
I've never seen or heard her cry and it broke my heart "You know I love you both" I looked down at my belt. It still glowed like It had unfinished business with me "But I have to take care of something before I can return home" I heard her draw a shaky breath "We understand sweetie. All I want from you is return home safely. Don't worry about school. We will work out something while you are gone" I nodded, then remembered she couldn't see me.

  
"I promise to go home as soon as I can. Tell my friends that I will try to get back to them when I can" I paused, not really knowing what else to say "Please be careful, Charlene. We know you are strong and independent, but we still worry about you" she sniffed.

  
"I will. Bye mom. Tell dad I love him too"

  
"Bye sweetie. We will be waiting for you when you are ready" with that, the line went silent. I sighed and pocketed my phone. I went back to the livingroom and joined Grover and Sally again.

  
"Did you reach them?" Sally turned to look at me slightly concerned.

  
"I did. I told them I have to take care of something before I can return home. Grover. Wherever this camp is, I have business there. You have to take me there" I was determined to find out more about who I really was. I always felt like I didn't belong with other people besides my parents. Maybe it was time I found out why exactly.

  
"I'm glad you decided to come. But we can't go right away. It would be too dangerous to go anywhere at night" Sally nodded her aggreement "You can rest here until the sun comes up. I will send you on your way tomorrow morning" she patted my knee and got up from her spot "I'll go make us something for dinner. Stay here and make yourself comfortable" she went to the kitchen and left us in awkward silence.

  
"So...Percy, was it? How did you two meet?" I was genuinely curious to hear more about him. They looked awfully anxious to find him.

  
Grover chuckled softly then sighed wistfully "It feels like it happened decades ago. Anywho, I was his protector and only friend when he was still going to school. We were worried about him because he is a son of Poseidon and his smell is much stronger to monsters. I helped him get to camp and I guided him on his first quest" he proceeded to tell me the basics about how they got back the Master Bolt and prevented war among gods.

  
"That is truly impressive" I hummed "Sounds like an interesting fellow to be around" Grover nodded and smiled "He is loyal to his friends and he would do anything to protect those he chose to stand by. He always believed in me and never let me down" a tear rolled down his cheek and he sniffed "You'll see when you meet him. He is a great guy" I nodded. I was curious to meet him, but only briefly. I didn't want to get too attached to anyone. I wanted to go home and get on with my life as soon as possible.

  
Sally made us sandwiches and hot cocoa for dinner. I have seen Grover eat some paper napkimds and steel cans too, but I chose not to ask about it. My day was weird enough as it was. We ate in comfortable silence and helped Sally clean up in the kitchen afterwards. She gave me some sleeping clothes and told me to sleep in Percy's bed. I tried to refuse politely but she said he hadn't been used since he went to camp and insisted that I sleep comfortably, for I would face a lot of difficulties on the way to camp. It felt kind of weird to sleep in a stranger's bed, but it was cozy and the care it was made with reminded me of home, so I had no trouble falling asleep in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading .w./  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w./


	3. The trip of the year

The thing is, I very rarely remember my dreams. Even if I do, I forget them rather quickly but I don't feel like I miss out on anything because I sleep peacefully. However, sometimes I dream about a woman caressing my face and soft, distant sounding murmurs. I can never make out what she's saying, but she always sounds heartbroken and regretful. That night I had the same dream and I woke up the next morning feeling uneasy. This time I even saw something for a few seconds. A brunette girl with a dagger and two boys. One tall blonde guy and a more lean latino boy. They were mounting a big mechanical dragon. Weird right? I never thought anything about this dream before, but now I felt like it fit into the whole Greek demigod picture somehow. I picked at my bacon and eggs as the three of us sat in the kitchen eating breakfast. I had no appetite and I felt restless to get moving.

"How did you sleep honey?" Sally's eyes were full of concern and she shared a look with Grover, who was munching on a paper napkin.

I cleared my throat "It was fine. The bed was really comfortable, thank you" I tried for a smile, but I knew it probably didn't look convincing.

"Nightmare?" Grover asked shortly.

"I...I'm not sure" I frowned and set down my fork.

"How so?" Grover furrowed his brows.

"I have had this dream before. But it was more clear this time...I guess? And I saw weird scenes for a few seconds. It still didn't make any sense though" I leaned back in my chair.

"What did you see exactly?"

"At first nothing. That's part of the confusion. All that happens is a woman caresses my cheeks and speaks to me. I can't quite make out what she says but she always sounds kind of guilty. This time I heard a few words though. Maybe she mentioned...giants? She said something about seven demigods and a sister of mine? I don't have a sister. I also saw three teenager riding a mechanical dragon. It doesn't make any sense" I frowned, but Sally and Grover shared a look again.

"What?" I looked between the two of them.

"Well. Demigods often have dreams connected to current happenings. And while it might be true that you don't have a sister by direct bloodline, you might have demigod siblings" Grover fidgeted with his paper napkin nervously as he spoke.

"Hold on. You are telling me, that I might have siblings at camp?" I felt dizzy. It was too much. I felt like my head might explode.

He nodded "I'm almost certain" he said carefully.

We all fell silent. My mind was racing and I struggled to sit in one place. I stood up "We have to get going. I...I have to get this over with before I lose my mind" I retrieved my jacket and scarf and shouldered my backpack.

Sally gave us some blue chocolate chip cookies in a plastic bag for later and walked us to the front door. She wrapped me in an embrace and smiled wetly "Take care and protect each other. I hope you find what you are looking for"

I nodded, pushing my lips together in a thin line. I wasn't used to get taken care of by strangers and heartfelt farewells "Thank you for everything. I'm sure Percy will come home soon. If I were him, I would definitely come running home to you" I smiled and gave a small wawe before she closed the door after us.

"Ready?" Grover looked just as beaten up as I felt, but he had determination in his eyes. I could appreciate that.

"Yeah. Let's go" I nodded and followed him along on the cold New York streets. We took several buses on the way and Grover looked jumpy whenever new passangers got on and sat closer to us. I guessed he had bad experiences with buses, I couldn't blame him. Then finally we arrived at Long Island at a bus stop on Farm Road. Grover told me camp was up on the hills near the beach.

"How come nobody knows about your camp?" we were walking on a road close to the forest. We were supposed to be a few minutes of walk from the entrance.

"There is a magical force called mist. It hides buildings, monsters and even changes things so mortals don't find out about us. Sometimes even demigods have a hard time seeing through it, but in special cases mortals can too. Like Sally. She sees through the mist. Our Oracle, a mortal girl called Rachel, sees through it too. Mist is like magic, so some demigods can even manipulate it to their advantage" I nodded. I guessed mortals would go nuts if they saw harpies flying around New York, snatching junkfood and such.

True to Grover's word, after a short walk we arrived at a hill with a pine tree at the top, a golden fleece placed on it, and a dragon snoring under the tree. Guess not the weirdest thing I saw. As we passed the tree, I felt something tugging at the back of my mind, like something had passed through my whole existence. It felt really weird, but Grover didn't say anything, so It must have been normal for him.

The hill looked upon what was supposed to be Camp Half-Blood. I could see nearby a volleyball court, a pavillion with Greek collums, a big wooden house, an amphitheatre, a bunch of cabins placed in an omega shape, even a huge climbing wall with lava flowing from the top in the distance. It looked just like my kind of place. I felt a pang of disappointment that I couldn't get to at least see everything before I moved on.

As soon as we stepped past the tree, the air turned warm and smelled like fresh strawberries and nature. Elvish looking young girls emerged from the forest and helped me out of my coat, and took my scarf giggling. Nymphs, if I was correct. I've read about them, but they were much more beautiful than the books described them. I mumbled a soft 'Thank you' slightly flustered.

"What was that about?" Grover didn't look bothered by any of it and only shrugged, a small smirk tugging at his mouth "Who knows. Maybe they wanted to see you without so many layers" he laughed, probably at my dumbfounded face "Come on. We have to announce your arrival" he patted my shoulder and went ahead in the direction of the house I saw. As we got closer to the house, kids joined us from every direction and mumbled to each other, greeting Grover enthusiastically. By the time we reached the house a huge crowd was following and walking with us.

In front of the house stood a very interesting looking man. From waist down he had the body of a horse, but from waist up he looked very much human. A centaur. He trotted up to meet us and smiled sadly down at Grover "My boy. Have you found any leads?" Grover shook his head "I'm sorry Chiron. My resources couldn't tell me anything of his whereabouts. However, they were very uneasy and they seemed to confirm our greatest fears" everyone turned grim and shared uneasy looks.

"But, I also ran into a demigod. Quite literally. We bumped into each other" he scratched his cheek sheepishly as the others laughed.

A tall boy with brown hair and blue eyes slang an arm around me and leaned into my personal space "Have you found us finally a new brother Grover?" he grinned while the others argued whose sibling I was supposed to be. I frowned and shook his arm off of me "You mean found a new sister maybe" I fixed my belt and turned my head to glare at him.

Everybody fell silent, except one group of girls at the front, lead by an asian girl who looked like she could use a little less makeup.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to-" he flushed red and started to stutter out words until I held up a hand "Forget it. I'm not here for family reunion anyway" I turned to look at the centaur and extended my hand "Charlene Moon" he took my hand and smiled gently, almost knowingly "I am Chiron, camp activities director. Let me welcome you to Camp Half-Blood. What brings you here if you don't seek protection, dear child?" he tilted his head.

"I better show you" I detached my beltbuckle and pressed the aquamarine shell until I heard the click, followed by a golden glow and the buckle turning into my new sword. Everyone gasped as I gently handed it to Chiron.

He hummed as he inspected it "It is clearly the work of a god, Hephaestus himself" he handed it back to me and I turned it back to its buckle form.

"How did you get a hold of it, If I may ask?" he crossed his arms.

"My original parents left it with me before they put me up for adoption. I only started to wear it when I was around nine years old" he rubbed his chin and eyed the buckle.

"If your godly parent asked Hephaestus to forge this for you personally, it clearly is special, not to mention very powerful. The symbols point to one person, but I wouldn't want to jump into conclusions" he looked sincerely apologetic, although the glint in his eyes told me he knew more than he let on.

"Is there a way to be sure?" I reattached the buckle to my belt. "Yes. Demigods get claimed by their godly parent with a clear sign. Well, now the gods are silent because of Hera's 'missing' status, but hopefully if you stick around at least until the campfire, today your godly parent might claim you. I can't grant you for sure of course" soft murmurs could be heard from the crowd of kids around us, and I started to feel quite uncomfortable with the staring. I never liked being in the center of people's attention for longer than necessary.

"Until the campfire, it is" I nodded.

Chiron nodded in return and turned to address the crowd "Kids. Carry on with your activities. You will have the oppurtinity to stare at the new camper tonight at dinner and the campfire" he lifted an eyebrow questioningly. Campers gradually left in different directions and only a few people were still standing around.

"Connor" the boy from earlier jumped slightly next to me when he was addressed "Show Charlene around until dinner comes around. I'm sure she would be interested in seeing how things work here. You ought to apologize to her properly too" his eyes sparkled with something I found very suspicious, but Connor didn't seem to pick up on it, he just nodded stiffly and gulped.

"Uh. Come. We have a lot of time to kill until dinner. I'll show you what Camp Half-Blood is about" I gave Grover one last small wawe before I followed Connor.

It was almost noon and the sun was high on the sky, the warmth felt really good on my skin after so much coldness in Manhattan. I'm not one for sunbaths, and despite how much I exercise and how many sport activities I take on outside, my skin always looks relatively pale. We were walking in silence towards the cabins, just enjoying the warmth.

"Look. Uh. I didn't mean to offend you. You just have a much more muscular physique and overall a much more masculine look in general than I'm used to with girls and uh...I just wanted to apologize" he scratched the back of his neck nervously. His babbling was kind of enderading really.

"I told you to forget it. It's a common mistake" he stopped suddenly in his track.

"Really?" he bit his lower lip.

"Sure. Grover, for instance, mistook me for a boy too. Percy's mother corrected him" I shrugged "So don't sweat it. I don't mind that much anyway. I was kind of frustrated to be honest and I apologise for snapping at you. It's not like my gender really defines me" he smiled slightly and nodded.

"You are an interesting fellow. I like you" he grinned and continued walking. He showed me the different cabins and told me there used to be only 12, but Percy changed things for the better and demigods were claimed more likely thanks to him.

"You all seem to admire him" I noted as we left the cabins and made our way towards the arena. "He is a great hero, but also our friend. At first we didn't think much of him, but it became clear that he is hard not to admire and like in general as a person. The guy's been through a lot and he just keeps getting into trouble" he pursed his lips and sighed "I hope he is alright. He's too important to us to lose him. I don't want to imagine what Annabeth would do if he didn't come back at all" he shook his head.

"Annabeth?" I tilted my head.

"His girlfriend. A daughter of Athena. She left camp a few days ago to keep searching for him. She left when those three left to free Hera" he looked grim.

"You don't sound like you have faith in the success of their quest" I lifted an eyebrow as we stopped.

"I don't know them. They arrived here one day, got claimed then left just as fast as they came" I nodded in understanding. No wonder it raised suspicion, but still.

"But you want them to succeed" I guessed "Don't you? No matter where they came from, they are trying their best to prevent something fatal to happen" he looked down directly at my face and didn't answer for a while "You are right. We should trust them more. Especially at times like this" he spent a few seconds studying my face, maybe even more than necessary, then cleared his throat "What about you? You said you are not here for 'family reunion' " he made quoting gestures with his hands.

"I'm not sure yet" I turned my gaze towards the glistening lake, the light dancing on the surface "I just feel like I have unfinished business here. Something to do with my biological parents" I pushed my glasses further up on my nose. Something I do by instict when I feel uneasy, uncomfortable, or just frustrated about something.

"So, you all have one godly parent, correct?" he nodded "My father is Hermes. Me and my older brother, Travis, are the head counselors of the Hermes Cabin. All the kids who are not claimed yet, stay with us until their godly parent claim them" he smiled slightly "Do you have any idea who yours could be? Do you have any kind special ability?"

"Not that I know of. Well, there is something, but that's kind of ridiculous and not very appealing" I frowned.

"Come on. Nobody would make fun of the gift that came from your godly parent. What is it?" his gentle smile made it easier for me to convince myself to tell him about my eyes.

"It has to do with my eyes" I averted his gaze. I could tell he had difficulties with looking directly in my eyes. That was something the glasses were responsible for.

"Now that you mention it, it is hard to look at them" he narrowed his eyes, then blinked a few times and rubbed them.

"That's because of my glasses. I have to wear them so...so that no weird things happen when I don't" he furrowed his brows.

"I thought your sight wasn't perfect or something"

"I see just fine. It's just...whenever I look at someone without my glasses, even if it's just a silly comment, they feel obligated to do it nonetheless. Like I forced them to do it and don't listen to anyone else other than me" I sighed "I know it's freaky" I frowned and turned to look at the lake again. I really wanted to slip into it. Water always helped me relax.

"No! It's not! I promise" he held up his hands and wawed them franatically. It was kind of adorable.

I snorted "Right. So, shall we proceed? I kinda wanted to see the arena" I lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh. Sure. Follow me" he led me to the small arnea, where kids cheering and groans could be heard. A firmly built older looking girl was wrestling with an other buff looking guy. They were rolling around in the dust, trying to get a good grip on the other until the girl managed to pin the guy to the ground with a grunt. They let each other go and the girl helped the guy to his feet with a small nod. The kids around them cheered and gratuated the girl, who only rolled her eyes and wawed them off like it was nothing anyone couldn't do.

I turned to look at Connor "May I?" I gestured at the girl.

"What?!" his voice went all high pitched "You want to spar hand to hand with Clarisse?!" he looked at me like I was nuts, but I only shrugged "Why not?" he bit his lip and looked between us "W-Well you are like that" his hand hovered at the top of my head "And Clarisse is like that huge!" he gestured at Clarisse, who looked in our direction just at that moment, and approached us with a scrowl.

Connor hunched on in himself as Clarisse got closer, which I found kind of hilarious considering that he was much bigger than me. She didn't look scary at all to me. I imagined her to be softer inside than she looks, under the hard shell.

"Stoll" she nodded shortly to Connor, not losing the scrowl on her face, then turned to look at me "I haven't seen you before. Are you the new kid?"

"I believe I am. Charlene Moon" I offered my hand. She gripped my hand with impressive strength "Clarisse La Rue. Daughter of Ares" she nodded once before she withdrew.

"I was wondering if you had time for one more session" I smiled innocently. She smirked and pointed at me "Have you ever even tried hand to hand combat?"

I shrugged "A bit. Although, it was in different circumstances and more modest than what clearly is common here" she didn't lose the smirk but nodded in understanding.

Connor grabbed my arm before I could move further in the arena. I lifted an eyebrow questioningly "What are you doing?"

"That should be my line! She's going to crush you" he whisper-shouted the last part.

"Don't be over dramatic" I rolled my eyes "This is just a friendly sparring session between girls. Right?" I turned to look at Clarisse, who had moved to the middle of the arena and popped her knuckles "Yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist, Stoll. Or would you like to spar with me, instead of her?" she smirked like when a lion shows its teeth.

Connor winced and let go of me instantly. I moved to stand in front of Clarisse, rolling my neck and shoulders "Any rules?" I brought my hand up in fronf of me.

"Yeah. Just one. Don't kill your opponent" she moved in to attack me, but I could see exactly what she was going for and dodged. We moved around each other, dodging and occasionally getting a good hit on the other. She had the advantage of her more advanced physique, but I was smaller and faster so it was easier to move around her. After some minutes of dancing around one another, we were rolling around in the dirt the same way I saw her with the other guy earlier. I managed to get a good hold on her and used a technique I learned from one of my martial arts teacher. I held her down until she signed to retreat. I pulled her to her feet and looked around warily. Everyone went silent and was staring at us with wide eyes.

Clarisse patted my shoulder and held me closer to her "I like your style. We should do this again sometime" she offered her hand and I grasped it with a grin "Maybe. I won't stick around for long though" she lifted an eyebrow "How come? You don't like the place?" she didn't sound offended, rather curious.

"It's complicated. But if until tonight my godly parent claims me, I will be able to settle things and make my choice" she nodded and didn't push the matter further. I appreciated that.

"Well, whether you choose to stay or not, you have made yourself an ally" she smiled genuinely. I nodded and said my goodbyes politely before I walked back to Connor, who stared at me with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. His face was slightly red too. Like he spent too much time under the sunlight.

"Earth to Connor. Do you copy?" I chuckled softly as he blinked a few times and closed his mouth.

"You are incredible" ha said it with too much awe for my comfort.

"Yeah, well, It's not like I did anything special really" I shrugged and narrowed my eyes at him "Are you okay though? Your face is really red" he turned even redder and averted my gaze.

"Yeah. Of course. Let's get going. We have a lot to see before dinner and the campfire" he proceeded to show me the pegasi stables, the dining pavilion and I even got to try out the climbing wall and shoot at the archery practice range. It was really fun. It had been a long time since I got to practice archery and climbing walls. Archery was always one of my top favourite sport activities and I got quite a few good shots. The Apollo kids seemed to be satisfied with me as well. On the wall I took great pleasure in racing other campers to the top. I got a few burnmarks and my clothes got slightly torn, but I felt satisfied and in a relatively good mood. I felt a pleasant soreness from our earlier sparring with Clarisse and felt my muscles tighten with every move I made. It felt familiar in a positive way. Like, when I got done a good amount of workout and burned some energy.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself" Connor smiled as we stood watching the sun retreat from the sky at the edge of the canoe lake. The reflection of the sun painted the lake a beautiful scale of warm colours.

"Yeah. This place really is something else" I returned his smile.

"You really don't plan on staying?"

"Miss me already?" I lifted a questioning eyebrow playfully.

"You could say that" he faltered.

"Who knows. Maybe I'll discuss it with my parents and spend some time here when I can" I shrugged and laughed at how his face instantly lit up.

"Cool. Uh. We should probably go. Dinner's ready" the walk to the dining pavilion was silent, but not uncomfortable. At the pavilion he explained that every cabin had differet tables, so I sat with the Hermes cabin, like every camper did until they got claimed. The food was really nice and the mood felt oddly domestic. Despite the difference of demigods's parents, everyone acted like a big family and argued like little kids. Well, I guess they were a family in some level. Greek family relations are very confusing. Connor told me that god blood works differently and Greeks have a different way of understanding things related to family, but I think blood is blood whatever the case is.

The ritual of burning food as an offering to the gods seemed utterly strange to me. Connor only shrugged and said that they like the smell. I chose not to question it further. The singing around the color changing campfire was kind of...cozy and warm? I never went camping with my parents and had never been to summer camps either, so I didn't understand why people said it was cringey to sing campfire songs. The songs were really random and ridiculous, but everyone seemed to have fun and that was what mattered. It felt good to sit with people who were in the same boat as me, but chose to enjoy themselves instead of dwelling on what they lost and what they could have. Well, that was until a certain someone chose to ruin the mood.

"So you are choosing to ignore the obvious?" her voice filled the air like smoke and wrapped itself around us like it wanted to suffocate us. It made me wrinkle my nose in digust. Everyone fell silent and the colour of the fire turned a dark shade of purple. She was that asian girl from earlier. She had that plastic doll look. Face covered in makeup, nails painted perfectly, ridiculously expensive designer clothes and a smug look on her face.

"Did you really have to ruin the mood?" someone grumbled from behins us, everyone nodding and murmuring their aggreement.

"Well, excuse me for not being as ignorant as you guys on the edge of another apocalypse. We still haven't heard of those three, or Hera, the gods are still silent and Annabeth ran off again to search for her boyfriend, the only decent guy in camp" the boys started protesting and grumbling but she just crossed her arms and walked to the center, next to the campfire "It's bad enough that dumpster girl went instead of me when I'm clearly more clarified" she smiled smugly as suddenly everyone seemed to aggree with her. I wrinkled my nose and swifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"May I ask you stop that? You are making us uncomfortable" I told her with a blank expression.

"Excuse me?!" she narrowed her eyes at me and stood right in front of me, blocking the light of the fire so that her face looked more sinister than before.

"I asked you if you could stop that. I don't know what you are trying to accomplish with sugar coated words and manipulation, but it won't change the fact that you obvioulsy wasn't the right person for the trip" I shrugged.

Her head turned red like a lobster and I could see the veins and muscles on her neck tighten. I had to hold back my laughter and keep my face blank. The others, however, started snickering around us and I became aware how many people were watching us. She seemed to realize that too and she regained some composure.

"Who do you think you are?" she stabbed a finger in my chest. Ow. Nails hurt.

"Someone who's good at observing" I smiled innocently and batted my eyelashes at her. Connor barked a laugh next to me at the comment, and I couldn't help the smirk tugging at my lips in return.

She scrowled at me, but then smiled smugly and leaned back "I remember now. Your are just the loser from this morning. Your godly parent didn't even bother to claim you" she snickered and her bunch laughed with her. I rolled my eyes and stood up in front of her. She was almost at eye level with me, but despite how short I am, I still had an inch or two on her. When I was about to make a snarky remark, she faltered and took a step back with eyes wide, covering her mouth with one hand. Everyone else was looking at me like I was a ghost, gaping like fish.

"What?" I furrowed my brows at her disturbed expression.

"No no no no! You can't be doing this to me!" Drew chanted in a hushed tone behind her hand and stepped backwards again, almost walking into the fire until I caught her arm. That's when I realized why everyone was looking at me like I was from outer space. I instantly released Drew's arm to look down on myself with an irritated groan.

My skin had a slight red glow like an aura, the cuts and burns disappeared completely from my arms and legs and my skin looked even more paler than usual, making it look like it glowed in the fire light. My comfy clothes and combat boots transformed into a pair of Greek sandals, decorated with silver ornaments, and a light, almost white shade of turqoise silk dress that went slightly below my knees, the upper section simply wrapped around my chest. A silk belt with my beltbuckle, wrapped around my waist and my arms and wrists were decorated in silver bracelets and other jewellery. I didn't have anything against dresses and accessories, but they just weren't my thing. I never wore them, didn't care for them and found them rather bothersome to wear.

Everyone was gaping at me, even Connor stood up from his seat. My heart started racing as I realised he was looking in my eyes.

"Your...your eyes" I touched my face and realised that I didn't have my glasses on. As soon as my brain caught up, I ran for it. I jumped over the heads of confused kids and I was out of there in a matter of seconds. I only stopped when I reached the lake. It was already dark out and the light of the moon made the lake into a perfect mirror. I frowned down at my reflection. My hair was combed and styled neatly, and it even had silver highlighting in it. I even had some makeup around my eyes and on my lips. I bent down and scooped a small amount of water in my hands and splashed it on my face. I tried to wash off the makeup and mess my hair up with my hands, but It pretty much didn't do anything. I frowned again and let out a frustrated sigh. I tore the jewellery down from my arms and tossed it in the water. Happy naiad girls wawed at me giggling and swam away with the bracelets and such. I sighed defeatedly. At least somebody found some pleasure in them.

I almost jumped into the lake when suddenly someone spoke from behind me.

 _"If you keep making that face, it will stay that way, dear"_ a pleasant female voice spoke, sounding way too familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :D  
> It's just a goof, but if you enjoyed it so far, then I'm glad to hear that :3


	4. The Aphrodite Cabin

When I turned around, a young woman was standing a few feet away from me. She was wearing a plain white dress that curved around her body, as if sea foam was caressing her form. Her chocolate brown hair fell over her shoulder and framed her stunning face like she was the picture you would find if you searched the word 'beauty'. She didn't wear makeup, at least I don't think she did, yet her face and skin was flawless, her expression warm and kind, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

  
When she stepped up to me and cupped my face in her hands, suddenly a wawe of warmth spread through my body and I completely forgot about my earlier embarrassment. I completely lost my ability to form words as I flet like her intense gaze peer right into the depth of my soul.

  
"You've grown up to be more beautiful than I have ever imagined" I had a feeling her smile could melt mountains. I had completely lost my voice.

  
I cleared my throat and made my brain work again with a lot of effort "Aphrodite? Mother?" I didn't notice I had tears in my eyes until she swept them away gently with her thumbs and kept caressing my face.

  
"Yes, Charlene. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to talk to you. To be able to touch you. I tried to reach you in your dreams but something always kept me from sending a clear message" she smiled sadly.

  
"You...You abandoned me" I was crying at that point without any doubt.

  
She nodded with a guilty expression "I had to. After the death of your fat-" she faltered and took a shaky breath "After the death of your father, I didn't know what to do. I couldn't bring you to Olympus with me, no matter how much I wanted to take care of you. I looked for your current parents with great care and made sure you would grow up in a loving environment. I managed to convince my husband to forge your sword and I got all kinds of blessings and magic forged into it, so it would provide you with the necessary protection as long as you wore the belt" she sounded genuine and the effort she put into protecting me was worth my forgiveness. Her situation wasn't easy at all when I really thought about it. I've read a lot about her and the Greek gods family in general, and even though I had my opinion about her as a godess, she definitely sounded like a caring mother, maybe the most caring among the gods and godesses.

  
"What about my eyes?" I sniffed.

  
The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled with amusement "Ah. Those. Well, that's something I've never witnessed myself. You are special, Charlene. I believe you don't need those glasses anymore" she wrapped her arms around me.

  
"I...don't?" I furrowed my brows in confusion as she pet my head gently.

  
She laughed softly, and it sounded like pure joy "No dear. If you can embrace the power your gaze posesses, you will be able to control when and where you want to use it" she withdrew and lifted my chin up "You are a natural beauty, whether you believe it or not. Beauty is power and it's more than good looks. It's important for you to understand, especially now. The earth mother is stirring and we don't have a lot of time until she truly rises from her slumber. Your sister is currently fighting to free Hera and prevent war between gods. You will have to be ready to help her and her friends when she returns" her smile turned sad again.

  
"I wish we had more time, but I can't stay long my dear child. Please be patient with your siblings. I know they are not tipically the type of people you like to be around, but they are not bad, I promise. Maybe you could teach them some things" she planted a kiss on my forehead before she let go of me completely.

  
"Don't worry about your appearance. This blessing will wear off soon" she smiled.

  
"W-Wait! What could I teach them?" I tried to get her attention, but she already started to disappear into a whirl of rose petals that got blown away by a light breeze.

  
"Hey" a soft voice came from behind me and I turned around swiftly "Are you okay? You bolted from there like you were burned" he took a few steps toward me. I blinked the tears away from my eyes and sniffed. Connor came after me. He rushed to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

  
"Why were you crying? Did something happen?" he furrowed his brows in concern.

  
"Well, I had an encounter with my real mother" I averted his gaze.

  
"Oh" he paused "Did you find out what you wanted?" he asked carefully.

  
"More or less. It seems I will have to stay longer" I shrugged and he withdrew his arms, keeping them at his side.

  
"That's good" he smiled sheepishly.

  
"Sorry for causing you trouble. I just didn't have my glasses after this happened" I gestured at my state of dressing.

  
"Y-Yeah I noticed" he flushed "Your eyes are...really beautiful" he squeaked and covered his mouth with one hand. I snorted and rolled my eyes "Don't worry. It's just the effect of my mother. It will wear off. I think" he nodded slowly.

  
"So...you won't get your glasses back?" he tried not to stare at my eyes, but he failed miserably.

  
I shook my head slightly "Appearantly I don't need them anymore. My mother said I will be able to control...whatever this is. She said it's new to her too" I gestured at my face.

  
"I've never heard of anything like that either" he nodded.

  
"Yeah...I've read a lot about greek mythology and I've been to a lot of lectures but I've never heard or read about anything like that" I frowned.

  
"Aren't you in middle school? How come you go to lectures?" he raised his eyebrows.

  
"Oh. I haven't told you. My dad. My foster dad, is a professor at a university and he gives lectures about ancient cultures's mythology. I'm a regular at the place even though I'm not a student" I shrugged.

  
"Neat" he smiled.

  
"I guess...so...would you escort me to my cabin? I feel ridiculous in these clothes. I've already dumped my jewellery" I laughed.

  
"Sure. Follow me. Although, I don't think you look ridiculous" he smirked and led the way to the Aphrodite Cabin. It wasn't as bright from outside as it was during the day and not as creepily dollish, but it was still sticking out in the row of cabins. Connor left me at the door, saying that he couldn't go further than that, not that he wanted. Well, what can I say? I couldn't blame him. As I opened the door, the smell of thick parfume and beauty products practically slapped me in the face. Or in the nose, if we want to be specific.

Everything was neatly designed and the walls were covered in posters of famous Hollywood movie stars. There were a few personal photos but not much. If I wanted to be honest, it looked like a nightmare I never wanted to experience. The cabin was divided to keep the boys seperated from the girls, but it didn't matter much because everyone was mixed on the girls's side. Every cabin memeber was already in there, chatting and laughing, until they noticed me. Drew gave me the stink eye and crossed her arms. A younger girl came up to me, grinning from ear to ear and hugged my arm with a boy behind her.

  
"Are you our new sister?" she beamed.

  
"Uh. Yeah. Charlene Moon. Nice to meet you" I smiled.

  
"I'm Lacy" she pulled me in front of a single bed "This will be your place. You can put your things in there" she pointed at a wooden chest at the end of the bed. It had my name painted neatly already on it to my surprise.

  
"Hi. I'm Mitchell. Welcome to our cabin" the boy put his hands back on Lacy's shoulders smiling.

  
"Thank you. Nice to meet you" I smiled at them, then turned to look at the rest of the cabin. I walked to the windows and pried them open, relieved to smell actual air. When I was satisfied with the amount of air coming in, I turned back to the them.

  
"I've talked to our mother" I straightened my back and addressed all of them.

  
"Don't be ridiculous. The gods are not talking to anyone" Drew shrieked, clearly annoyed with me.

  
"Our mother did. And she gave me an assignment" I went on, ignoring her stare "Tell me, how frequently do you participate in the camp activities and combat training?" I paced slowly in front of them.

  
Drew crossed her arms and shrugged "Some of us do, some of us don't. I don't see why we should"

  
"That will change from tomorrow. As Drew said earlier," she huffed as I gestured at her "The earth mother will wake soon, and she will bring war. We will have to be ready when our sister returns from her quest, and support her, and our camp any way we can. Including fighting" they all gasped dramatically and murmured disagreements.

  
"I know everyone has their own schedules here, but I will speak to Chiron about ours. We will insert as many combat practice and other activities as we can. Together" I spoke firmly, trying to use my eyes as a way of being more convincing. My mother said I could control this power. I didn't want to force them to do anything, just make them listen to what I had to say.

  
"And why do you think we will do all that?" Drew strood in front of me, looking up at me like I kicked her puppy.

  
I sighed "Look. I'm sorry I acted offensive and judgemenetal with you. I'm willing to start again with a fresh page. We have to work together to make our mother proud" I offered her my hand.

  
She looked back at our siblings, who nodded their aggreement. She hesitantly took my hand "Fine. But that doesn't make you head counselor" she huffed. I held up my hands and chuckled "I don't want to be. Don't worry about that" I muffled a yawn with my hand.

  
"I guess it's time to go to bed" I frowned down at my clothes "I don't suppose you have combat boots in store" Drew's eyes sparkled for a moment and her mouth curved up into a small grin. She grabbed my wrist and led me to a closet in the corner of the cabin. She opened it and it revealed tons of folded orange T-shirts, jeans, shorts,sneakers, sandals and all kinds of clothes. Even combat boots in different colours and patterns.

  
Drew spread her arms smiling "Be our guest. Choose whatever you like" she stepped sideways to make space for me. My eyes roamed the closet for a while, but I settled with some orange Cam Half-Blood T-shirts and some shorts and put them in my chest with my backpack. I picked out a pair of navy blue combat boots and set them down at the feet of my bed. I pulled my phone out of my backpack and checked my messages. I saw a few from my friends and one from my mom saying she took care of everything until I would return home.

  
"Can I charge my phone somewhere?" everyone gasped in return again to my confusion.

  
"What?" Drew snached my phone away from my hands "Hey!"

  
"You can't use your phone in here. It attracts monsters" she switched it off and gave it back to me with a smug expression.

  
"You could've just said so" I grumbled under my breath as I placed it back into my bag.

  
She shrugged and went back to her bunk bed she was sharing with Lacy on the top. I changed into some sleeping clothes and settled under the covers, the others following suit. I fell asleep rather quickly, more calm now that I had a purpose and a new extended family. Kind of?

I slept peacefully for the most part. I remembered seeing flashes of the brunette girl I had seen before kneeling next to a tied up pretty ragged looking man. I wondered though where the blonde and the latino guy was. I also saw a sleeping woman that looked a lot like it was covered in dirt. Then the pictures disappeared and I bolted up from my bed, awake. The sun was only coming up, peeking over the horizon. It was beautiful, but not a sight I couldn't see often. I always woke up early, even on weekends, because even though I loved sleeping, I felt like it would make my time go to waste if I slept more than necessary. I climbed out of my bed and fixed the covers and the pillow before I started stretching. I had a slight burn in my muscles that felt very pleasant, hoping to get a chance to work them more.

  
I brought out a T-shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of white socks and set them down on my bed neatly. I found a toothbrush and some toothpaste in my chest I brought along with me into the small bathroom that only had a sink, a mirror and shelves on the wall. The shelves were full of beauty products with names craved under the portions. Everyone had their own things appearantly. The sink was filled with different kinds of makeup and nailpolish, tubes and containers of gels, although it wasn't as organized as the shelves. I frowned at my reflection and groaned in frustration. I still had the makeup on me and my hair looked perfectly styled even after getting out of bed. I started to miss my hay-pile-hair. I narrowed my eyes at myself as I brushed my teeth and washed my face.

  
When I was done in front of the mirror, I sighed defeatedly and shuffled back to my bed slowly, setting back my brush and paste in the chest where I found them. I yawned and stretched one last time before I pulled off my sleeping pants and put on the pair of shorts. I reached under the hem of my sleeping shirt and yanked it off in one swift motion. I heard someone yelp behind me and turned around warily, only to see Drew watching me eyes wide, with a flushed face.  
"What happened? Nightmare?" I furrowed my brows.

  
I started to get concerned when she didn't answer me. She blinked a few times, then teared her eyes away from me and cleared her throat "N-No. You just startled me" she stuttered and gestured at my half nakedness.

  
"Oh. Sorry. We are siblings. Well, step siblings at the least. I assumed we were free to change in front of each other. I'm not shy, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I will change somewhere else next time" I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly.

  
"It's fine" she said slowly and brough her eyes back to me. She kept staring at me for a while and opened her mouth and closed it, like a fish, I noted. I could tell she wanted to say something, maybe she thought it would be rude.

  
"What is it? I can tell you have something to say" I lifted a qestioning brow.

  
"W-Well. It's just..." she bit her lower lip and I gestured for her to go on "Your body doesn't look feminine at all. You kinda look like a guy" she blurted. I looked down at myself and shrugged. That was fair enough. My torso was practically entirily flat, and my body was rather toned than curved.

  
"I guess you are right" I smiled slightly and moved to pick up the orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt from my bed. I was about to pull it over my head when I felt a hand on my biceps.

  
"I...uh...would you mind if I...touched?" Drew bit her lower lip and looked up at me hopefully.

  
I lifted my eyebrows in surprise "I guess not?" I had my hands in the sleeves of the shirt already, but I pulled them free and held the shirt in one hand. I turned to face Drew fully and let her do her thing. I had no idea what she was curious about, but I didn't mind, so I just shrugged. She stepped closer to me, putting her hands first on my shoulders, then smoothing them down my biceps and forearm. She then trailed her hands down my abdomen. She traced a long scar on my hip and frowned, her light touches making my skin shiver.

  
"How did you get this?" she looked up to meet my eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked kind of cute.

  
"Ah. Well. A kid almost succesfully pushed me off a bridge in fifth grade" her eyebrows shot up.

  
"Why would they try to do that on purpose?" she looked genuinely surprised, which I found syrange.

  
"Who knows? Something about me being a "fag" or something like that. I can't remember. A group of kids cornered me and pushed me around for a while, laughing with each other until one of them pushed me into a loose part of the barrier. I got this nasty scar, they got expelled from school" I shrugged.

  
Her frown deepened and I lifted an eyebrow in question "Is something wrong?" I cocked my head sideways.

  
"You are not upset at all? You act like it's nothing" she was smoothing circles with her thumb over the scar by now, but I didn't comment on it.

  
"It's not like I can do anything about it. Not that I want to, of course. That would be foolish. Just like I couldn't change the way those kids looked at me back then. They got what they deserved, and I learned that I needed to protect myself. Their excuse for pushing me around still doesn't make any sense, but alas" I chuckled as she wrinkled her nose "You let people get away with things like that?" she frowned again.

  
"I don't hold grudges. I really can't be angry at them for long when they act out of stupidity. Hopefully they will learn to keep an open mind in the future, as for now, It's really not my business. I never saw them again anyway" she studied my face for a few seconds.

  
"You are way too responsible to be a teenager" her tone had a hint of amusement, and her warm brown eyes sparkled, a small smiled tugging at her lips.

  
She was so close, I could see her face in great detail. She didn't have makeup on yet, but she looked more beautiful like that in my opinion. The pink eyeliner seemed a bit too much anyway. Her dark hair was slightly messed up, probably from the bed, and it was sticking out into all kinds of directions at some places. Now that she was so close, she smelled kind of...nutmegy? It was sweet and refreshing after the heavy parfume scent had cleared out during the night. Her lips looked perfect without any lipstick, light pink and full, really moist looking after she chewed on them so much. I closed my mouth in a thin line in shame, as I caught myself marvelling on how beautiful my step sibling looked. Half naked. With her hands still on me.

  
I cleared my throat "So...was that all you wanted?" I shifted my weight awkwardly under her hands.

  
"Y-Yes. Thanks" she withdrew her hands like they were burned, and tugged a small lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously. I found it adorable with the combination of her flushed face.

  
I pulled my shirt finally over my head and wrapped a belt around my waist, attaching my bealtbuckle to it. I turned around to say goodbye to Drew before I headed out to see Chiron, but I turned to her the same moment she chose to take of her own sleeping shirt. Thankfully she was with her back to me, but I turned around swiftly nonetheless, feeling my face heat up in response, despite my earlier statement about us being family and not being shy about it. I wondered why and when had my feelings changed about that during the short period of time we spent together.

  
I said a hushed goodbye before I got out of there, carefully shutting the door behind me to make sure I didn't wake anyone up. I sighed against the door and pushed myself forward on the front steps of the cabin. The early morning sky looked beautiful and everything was quiet and peaceful, not a sound to be heard other than the sounds of nature. I took the small walk to the Big House and knocked on the front door. When it opened, it revealed Chiron sitting in a wheelchair. That was a weird sight to say the least, but I couldn't bring myself to marvel on things like that anymore. He scooted sideways to let me in and closed the door after me.

  
"How may I help you? Are you settled in your cabin well?" he smiled kindly and folded his hands in his lap.

  
"Well...you could say that" I started playing with my beltbuckle by instict "Though I'm not here to discuss that. Not entirely at least" he nodded in understanding.

  
"I've spoken to my mother last night. Aphrodite. And it came to my attention that my siblings barely take part in combat skill training and other camp activities" I trailed off.

  
"That is true sadly" he nodded "I never felt the need to nag them with this, as I was sure they wouldn't be interested in our basic combat training, but it would do them good" his voice held some disappointment.

  
"I intend to change that. I wanted to discuss the schedules of my fellow cabin mates. I would like to squeeze in more activities that complement combat training and self defense. I can teach them some things, but we definitely need help" Chiron stroked his beard thoughtfully.

  
"I appreciate your determination. Very well" he smiled.

  
We spent a good amount of the morning working through schedules. Aphrodite children had more strawberry-picking time and crafting activities than others, so Chiron and I agreed that we would keep most of the strawberry picking, but switch some of the crafting time to something more combat related. Since Annabeth was away, we agreed that it wouldn't hurt to miss some Greek lessons in the favor of better self defense. At some time in the morning Clarisse visited the Big House, and immadiately offered to help with the training. I was grateful for that and accepted the offer happily. When it was close to noon, I had a copy of our renowed schedule in hand and was heading to our cabin. My stomach was rumbling with emptiness, since I skipped breakfast and dinner had been a long time ago. Most of our cabin members were present, which was good enough for me. I announced the new schedule, which was met with some very over dramatic gasps of horror and groaning in unison.

  
"Of course I can't force you to take part in my plan. I don't want to force my ideas on you anyway. However, Chiron seemed to agree with me, and my most important intention and goal is to make our mother proud of us. In order to achieve that, we have to support our sister and fight like true Greek warriors. It is also a way to gain our fellow campmates's respect, which is a good addition in my opinion" I folded my hands behind my back and watched as my siblings changed looks that seemed something like; "Is she for real?" "Why would we want to do that?" "She's definitely crazy if she thinks I will get my hands dirty"

  
Lacy stood up from her spot on Drew's bed with a determined expression "I want to make mom proud. I want to do it" Mitchell copying her and nodding his agreement. Drew rolled her eyes, which were not lined in pink, and put her hand on Lacy's shoulder "Count me in. You better not mess this up, Moon" she folded her arms and turned to look at our siblings with an expectant look, cocking her hip sideways. It was a really nice sight to be honest, and I was truly grateful for her support as well.

  
They murmured soft aggreements in response and stood from their seats. I announced that for that day we would practice climbing the wall in the afternoon and the new schedule would be active officially from the next day. It was already lunch time, so we went to sit at our table in the dining pavilion. I sat at the far end of the table while the others chatted and laughed. Drew sat next to me and propped her head up with her arm, blinking at me slowly. She wore simple clothes like the other campers; bright orange T-shirt, a pair of shorts and sneakers. Her hair was pulled up in high ponytail and she didn't wear make up at all.  
We both got our share of food and drinks, a diet Coke for Drew and a glass of water for me, no cheese for me, because believe it or not, I don't like cheese. I was munching on my grapes and barbecue, but Drew just kept staring at me, occasionally sipping her coke.

  
"What?" I asked around a mouthfull of barbecue, furrowing my brows in confusion.

  
"You are such a dork" she snorted and rolled her eyes "I was just wondering. You came here only yesterday, yet you have changed quite a lot of things already. Also, I heard about your sparring with Clarisse" I lifted an eyebrow and swallowed.

  
"What about it?" I took a sip of my water and popped a grape in my mouth, munching happily. I've always enjoyed fresh fruit, especially sweet grapes.

  
"Clarisse never loses in wrestling. Percy can beat her in swordsplay and Annabeth kicks her ass with only her dagger any day, but hand to hand fight is her thing" she paused "How come you were able to suppress her on the first day you arrived here?"

  
"I can defend myself. I have to. Like I told you this morning, it is necessary for me, so I've tried several types of martial arts and self defense courses, hand to hand combat sessions. I've picked up quite a few useful techniques from my teachers" I shrugged "Not that big of a deal. Though, if Clarisse never loses, she might have been tired" Drew hummed.

  
"You are way too modest too" she smiled and turned to eat her food too. She looked much more like a real person without the heavy layers of makeup and designer clothes. I had no problem with those things either, but they just seemed unnecessary. Aphrodite told me I'm supposed to be a natural beauty, but in my opinion Drew was much more a natural beauty.

  
"You look really nice without makeup" I blurted out before I could stop myself. She turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

  
"Honey, I look nice whatever I wear. My makeup would come off and my nice clothes would get ruined on the climbing wall anyway" she shrugged. I hummed in return. That did make sense.

  
"Connor told me you have some kind of permanent makeup"

  
She nodded "Yes. But we wouldn't waste it on things like that" she wawed it off.

  
"Well, maybe it's just my opinion, but I think this look really suits you. You look more beautiful" I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.

  
"Oh" her mouth curled in a circular shape and a light flush crept to her face "T-Thanks" she turned back to poke at her food. After that she didn't speak much, and I hoped I didn't offend her.

  
"Hey guys" Connor came to stand next to our table smiling.

  
"Hey" I smiled back "What brings you here?"  
"Just thought I would say hi. I've heard about your plan. Ambitious, to say the least. Are you sure you want to go down with it?" he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

  
"Yeah. I have faith in my siblings and I want the best for them" I was serious about the plan.

  
He hummed "I heard you even got Clarisse to help you"

  
"She was kind to offer her assiatance, yes" I nodded "News travel fast here. I announced it not even an hour ago" I mused.

  
He shrugged "Nothing stays a secret for long in here" his gaze shifted to Drew "Are you sick Drew? You have been awfully quiet since I came here" Drew's head shot up and scrowled at Connor "Shut up Stoll. It's none of your business what I do and not do" I felt as if she had scooted closer to me, almost entirely flush against me.

  
Connor lifted both his hands in a surrendering gesture "Woah. No need to be so rude. I was just asking" he eyed the two of us weirdly "I...uh better go now. I have places to be. See you guys at dinner" he gave a small wawe before he left with the Hermes kids. I wondered what was that all about.

  
"Are you going out with him or something?" Drew snapped me out of thoughts.

  
"Why would you think that?" it was kind of cute how she wrinkled her nose in return.

  
"He's been all over you since you arrived" she mumbled.

  
"We are just friends" I paused "I think we are friends at least. But nothing more than that. I barely know him anyway. He was just told to show me around and explain the basics of Camp" I assured her, to which she seemed to relax against my side, which quite baffled me.

  
"Ah. Okay. I was just wondering" she twirled her ponytail around her finger, not quite looking at me. I wondered if she acted the way she was acting with me around everyone. She wasn't as friendly towards Connor for instance.

  
After we finished eating, we left in one group and I told my siblings to dress in clothes they wouldn't mind if they got ruined. I left to let them to do their thing and went to the climbing wall at first. No campers were using it so we were free to practice all we wanted.

  
"Hey Moon" I turned around and grinned when I saw Clarisse approaching.

  
"Good morning. Thank you for doing this. I know you have your own cabin to train" we shook hands.

  
She shrugged smirking "They will be fine without me. You will need all the help you can get with the Aphrodite cabin anyway. I hope you have patience, because you will need it" she folded her arms.

  
"I'm patient enough. And I believe they can be good fighters with enough training" she nodded.

  
The climbing practice went pretty good. Almost everyone was able to climb to the top and noone got injured other than small scratches and burns. Most of them even enjoyed racing each other to the top and didn't mind that their clothes got burned and slightly torn. Drew was really good too, climbing to the top the fastest among our siblings and generally smiling a lot. Her smile was really nice, I noted.

It was good to have Clarisse helping too, her presence was reassuring and helped the others with focusing on climbing. Clarisse and I went quite a few rounds too, and it was just as fun as the day before. It was good to see my siblings having fun and chat playfully with each other, challenging the other who can get to the top first. All in all, the practice was a success. By the time dinner came around, everyone was exhausted, but they seemed happy and content. We hit the showers and changed into clean clothes before we headed to the dining pavilion. Our table was much louder than before, everyone chatting about their success on the wall enthusiastically, the younger ones showing off their new burnmarks. I was proud of them and I felt happy that they enjoyed the experience. I really felt like I gained a new extended family.

  
"You know, today was kind of fun" Drew spoke from next to me in her seat. She was watching our siblings banter and laugh with a small smile.

  
"I told you It would be fun" I smirked.

  
She huffed and rolled her eyes halfheartedly, but broke into a smile "I guess I should trust you more in the future" she put her hand on mine on the bench under the table. She kept her hand on mine the whole time, chatting with people casually, while my heart threatened to jump out of my chest. I could only nod and say short answers in fear of my voice cracking. When we were done with dinner and finally stood up from the table, only then my heart calmed down. Drew sent me an amused smile, her eyes shining with smugness. I bet she got a kick out of teasing me.

  
I walked awkwardly behind my siblings as we were returning to our cabin for the night, my hands in the pockets of my shorts. I wondered what was the meaning of all the things she did. Maybe it was just all friendly and I read too much into it, but the way she snapped at Connor didn't make any sense. She seemed kind of protective, although I didn't see why she would have to be protective towards Connor. I was never good with feelings and stuff like that. I was never good at reading people's emotions either. I kind of always assumed people acted mostly out of logic than emotions. I pulled the hand Drew had touched before out of my pocket and looked at it blankly. The weight and softness of her hand felt good, and the warmth was reassuring. I shrugged and decided she was just being friendly. Siblings do that kind of stuff, right?

  
We got ready for bed and tucked ourselves under the covers. It took me for a while to fall asleep, my thoughts swirling in my head about the events of the day. I was wondering whether our sister was progressing in her quest. The next day would be the deadline of the quest, winter solstice. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. I had to start teaching the next day, practicing swordsplay in my free time. It had been a while since I did something with swords and now that I had a sword of my own, I couldn't be slacking off. Clarisse offered to teach me the best she could, but told me that if I really wanted to get good at it, I should ask Percy when he got back. It was fine by me. After a while I slipped into a dreamless sleep and let myself relax against the sheets.

  
I woke early at sunrise just like the day before. This time when I looked in the mirror the same person looked back I was used to see before this whole Greek madness got introduced to me. The makeup had disappeared completely and my hair was a mess again. I grinned at my reflection and brushed my teeth in a good mood. This time when I started changing however, Drew was sitting on her bed, leaning back on her hands, watching me get my clothes ready. I could feel her eyes roaming all over my body as I pulled my clothes off. When I got my shorts on and slipped into my combat boots, I turned to face her.

  
"Do you...uh need something?" I played with the shirt in my hand.

  
"Nah" she shrugged "I'm good" she smirked and made a show of eyeing me up and down.  
I swallowed and nodded unsure, pulling my shirt over my head. I fixed a belt on me and popped my beltbuckle on it. Drew stood up from her spot and stood in front of me chuckling "Your hair's a mess. You never do anything with it? It's as if you host a wild furry creature on your head" she smiled as she started playing with my hair.

  
I shrugged "Not really. It always looks like a pile of hay by the end of the day. My foster mother tried to do something with it for a while, but she gave up eventually" she nodded in understanding as she continued messing around with my hair. She was so close, I could smell her sweet scent. Her eyes met mine, and I felt my heart speed up. I averted her gaze and rested my hands on my belt awkwardly. My fingers were itching to touch her for some reason, and I felt really ashamed at myself for nursing such thoughts. She surprised me with taking my hands and putting them on her waist, then wrapping her arms around my neck.

  
"Better?" she smiled knowingly.

  
I gave a small nod, still not able to look at her properly, my face slowly heating up as seconds went by. She was soft and warm under my fingers, even with the one layer of thin fabric seperating us, and I couldn't help but trace small circles on her waist with my thumbs. She hummed in satisfaction, encouraging me to go on. I didn't know how much time we spent there, but I knew I had to leave soon. I had arranged a short sword practice with Clarisse for one hour before breakfast.

  
I cleared my throat "I should probably go" my voice was slightly hoarse, like I hadn't drank anything for days.

  
"Really? Do you?" Drew whispered and pressed her body closer, squeezing herself against me. I backed up against the front door, but she didn't let go of me for one second. She smirked, probably because my head was burning.

  
"D-Drew wha-" I let out a nervous laugh "What are you doing?" my eyes jumped all over the cabin, looking anywhere but at her.

  
She rolled her eyes "You are so dense. Just like a boy" she grabbed my face with one hand and pressed her lips against mine. I was in purse shock. I freezed completely and didn't dare to move.

  
She withdrew and huffed "You are supposed to kiss back" I yelped as she pressed her chest even more against me. She smiled amused and tilted her head sideways "You are awfully shy about this" she smirked and wriggled some more teasingly against me.

  
"T-This is wrong. We are family" I stuttered as I turned my head away in embarrassment.

  
She shrugged "Technically Hera and Zeus are siblings too. The blood of the gods works differently" she prepped my cheeks with small loving kisses. I melted under her touch, but I was too stubborn to give in just yet. Besides, I was afraid our siblings would wake up.

  
"S-Still. And I might look like one, but I'm not a guy. Doesn't that bother you?" I turned my head back to face her.

  
"You are...you. It doesn't matter whether you are a guy or a girl. I've wanted to do this since I laid my eyes on you" I snorted at that.

  
"You have a funny way of showing your affection" she pecked my nose and shrugged again.

  
"I was stubborn and didn't want to admit that I have a thing for you. I'm sorry for being childish and rude. I don't like to admit it when I see something in an attractive person other than their good looks. Now, look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel attraction for me" I looked in her eyes and opened my mouth, only to close it again. In truth, I really wanted to kiss her. Touch her. Feel her. I thought I've gone completely crazy.

  
"See? Now shut up and kiss me" she raised an amused eyebrow. Her warm breath ghosted on my lips and made them tingle. I licked my lips and stole a glance at those full pink lips. So tempting, so close.

  
I thought _"To hell with it"_ and attacked her lips. She hugged her arms around my neck tighter and I flipped us so that she was standing against the door. I lifted her up, her legs wrapping around my waist. Our mouths slided against the other until the kiss became more heated, involving tongue and teeth. I held her with one hand on her buttocks, while I sneaked one hand under the hem of her sleeping shirt and caressed her side as we kissed. She moaned into my mouth and I held her closer. It was so wrong, yet it felt so right. I've never felt so alive, feeling her weight in my hands and her tiny shudders as I slid my hand down her spine. When we finally had to break for air, I left a trail of kisses from her jaw to her neck and I felt her shiver under my touch.

  
She hummed feeling content, and played with the hair at the nape of my neck as she caught her breath. I nuzzled her neck and panted against her.

  
"I should really go now. Clarisse is waiting for me" I whispered into her skin.

  
"So you did have to go afterall" she mused with a small chuckle.

  
I smiled against the skin on her neck "Of course. I don't lie. Not even as an excuse" I withdrew to look at her properly.

  
"We are so not done here" she smirked.

  
"Yeah" I smiled and let her down.

  
I lifted her chin and kissed her again, just because I could, and because her lips tasted so good. She didn't object, melting into the kiss.

  
"See you at breakfast" she stole one last kiss before she practically pushed me out of the cabin. I was kind of grateful for that. I probably would have stayed kissing her silly if she hadn't been the clear headed one. I smiled to myself as I approached the arena. Clarisse was standing there already, leaning against the fence.

  
"You are late" she stated.

  
"Yes. I'm terribly sorry. I got...um...distracted on the way here" she lifted an eyebrow in question, but didn't seem mad at me, more like amused for some reason.

  
"Well, let's begin then and not waste any more time. We have less than an hour until breakfast" I nodded and transformed my belt into my sword.

  
Clarisse showed me the basics of Greek swordsplay and we spent a good amount of time sparring. I got the hang of it fast, as it wasn't that much different from the activities I had with swords before. My Celestial bronze sword was really helpful too, almost humming in my hand whenever I made a good move. Almost like it had a soul of its own. I decided I needed to find a proper name for it later. By the time we had to leave for breakfast, we were both panting and sweaty. Clarisse clasped my shoulder and leaned against me as we left the arena.

  
"You are pretty good you know. You remind me of someone" she wondered out loud.

  
"Not the first time I hear this. Who do I remind you of? Maybe somebody I know too?" I was curious to know. Grover had said something like that too.

  
"Percy" she said shortly.

  
"Oh. Is he your friend too?" I asked carefully.

  
"He is a pain in the butt" she grunted, but her features softened and she sighed "Nevertheless, he is my friend. Yes" I could see she missed him too.

  
"How come I remind you of him?" she hummed in return.

  
"Your sword for one. His looks a lot like yours. And It can be transformed into a pen" Huh. That sounded inconvenient.

  
"But a pen? What if he loses it? It's quite a small object" I frowned.

  
"He told me that if he does, it reappears in his pocket in its pen form after a short period of time" that did make more sense.

  
"I'm guessing you've never lost your belt, and your beltbuckle" she chuckled.

  
I snorted "No" and rolled my eyes as she smirked in return.

  
"My sword is the only thing that reminds you of him?" we were close to the cabins and we could hear the noise of kids already.

  
She stopped to look at me properly "Well, your body type is quite similar to his, except that he is tanned and you look very pale. Your hair is just as wild, although his is black. But, your eyes are almost the same. His are more green than blue though" she was looking at my eyes kind of weirdly, but then blinked a few times and turned to walk again.

  
"I'm getting more and more curious to meet him. Everyone speaks of him as he was an enigma. Something out of a mythology"

  
"His name gives him that vibe" she smiled slightly.

  
"Perseus? Right?" she nodded. I've heard of him. Interesting story.

  
"You have been looking a lot at Drew yesterday" she said out of the blue, and I would have tripped if she hadn't caught me.

  
"N-No I wasn't. I was sharing my attention with my siblings eaqually" she laughed how flustered I became at the subject.

  
She clapped my back and led me to walk towards our cabins "Don't worry. It's not considered incest. We are Greeks, and god blood is different from mortal blood" I groaned and buried my face in my hands as she laughed. Why did people have to keep saying that?

  
"See you at practice" she smirked as we parted ways. I huffed and walked in the direction of the Aphrodite Cabin. Nobody was there, I guessed they had left for breakfast. I dug out some clean clothes from my chest and showered as quickly as I could. The advantage of short hair is that you don't have spend so much time drying it and it saves you a lot of time, especially when you are in a hurry. I dried myself fast and pulled on my clothes, then rushed to the dining pavilion. Drew was waiting for me at the end of the table, smiling when she spotted me.

  
"Hey" I flopped down next to her breathlessly.

  
"How did it go?" I chugged down a glass of water and propped a few a grapes in my mouth. I didn't realize how thirsty I was before.

  
"Good. I'm getting the hang of Greek sword tactics. Though Clarisse said I should wait for Percy to return if I wanted to get really good at it" she hummed and ate her own food.

  
"I have seen Percy spar with campers before. He is impressive when he wields Riptide" she mused.

  
"Riptide?"

  
"His sword. It has its own history" I hummed in acknowledgement. Maybe finding a name for my sword wasn't a bad idea afterall.

  
She placed her hand on mine again "I'm sure the two of you would get along. He is just as dorky as you" she smiled.

  
"I'm not dorky" I huffed and pouted.

  
"Yeah. Right" she laughed and patted my hand.

  
We ate in comfortable silence until we finished up and retreated to our cabin. We had a bit of time before the first self defense training, so we walked slowly, taking our time. I yelped when Drew suddenly pulled me off the path into a small storage shed and shut the door behind us. It was dark, but it had a small window so some light came in.

  
"What are we doing here?" I looked around the small shed. There was a bunch of Greek armor and weapons hanging on the walls, helmets sitting on shelves.

  
She hugged me just like earlier that morning, and pressed our bodies together "Kissing you, obvioulsy. I told you before we weren't done" she pressed her mouth on mine. I didn't protest, placing my hands on her waist to balance her and deepen the kiss.

  
She was so distracting and addicting, I felt myself get drunk on her taste, her warmth. I moved down to kiss her neck and she tilted her head to give me better access. I bit down lightly on her collarbone and licked it, smiling against the skin as she let out a small breathless sound and shuddered against me "C-Chaz" she moaned and I hummed in return. I liked the nickname. Especially coming from her mouth. I brought my hands down to squeeze her buttocks, making her squirm against me.

  
"You are so gorgeous" I mouthed against her skin as I moved back up, kissing and licking "I wish I had time to kiss every inch of your body" I left one last kiss on her cheek before I withdrew. Her face was flushed and her chest heaved with every breath she took. A very beautiful picture indeed.

  
"You know how to flutter the ladies" she smiled warmly.

  
"It's the truth" I stole a kiss and smiled at her adoringly. I had a ridiculously big crush on her, I realised. Something pulled me to her, and made warmth spread through my body whenever she smiled at me.

  
"I might take you up on that offer then" she had a playful glint in her eyes.

  
"Well, If you can arrange the privacy, I don't see why not" the idea excited me. Very much so.

  
"Deal" she laughed and we left the shed hand in hand, letting each other go before we entered our cabin. I had pinned on the wall our collective schedule the day before, so I read it out loud for everyone. The rest of the day had been pleasant. I taught them some basic self defense before lunch and paired them up to practice what they had learned. In the afternoon we had swords practice with Clarisse and sparring sessions. I was really proud of my siblings for trying so hard and making so much progress. It turned out that Drew was really good at wielding a sword. The way she moved in the arena made her all the more attractive in my eyes.

  
It was almost 6 pm when we left the arena. Everybody felt the wight of the winter solstice deadline setting on us. Drew took my hand and squeezed it. I didn't know if it was to reassure me, or to comfort her, but I was glad she wanted to be in this together. She didn't even mind that everybody could see it. We sat together at the dining pavilion in silence, everybody just poking at their food. Chiron looked just as grim and uneasy as us, and Grover didn't look any better either. Drew squeezed my hand under the table from time to time, and I squeezed back. She hadn't touched her pizza, and her coke was sizzling in front of her as she twirled the can around. I didn't have much of an appetite either, my barbecue gone cold.

  
I had no idea whether the quest had been succesfull, but we had passed the deadline and we got no sign of Gaia's awakening. That was positive at least.

  
Suddenly, a flash of gold light blinded everyone in the pavilion, including myself, and when I opened my eyes, a girl and two guys were standing on our table, the girl's foot in Drew's slice of pizza. Everyone was gawking at her, while the scrawny latino boy I remembered from my dream jumped off the table and threw up. I know. Gross.

  
Chiron trotted forwards and started to stutter out words, clearly as baffled as us "What--How--?"

  
My attention snapped back to our table when the girl sarted speaking "Hi" I noted how her voice quivered "We are back" she tried to act casual, but she looked terrible. She was slightly pale and she was swaying, clearly fighting her nausea. Her clothes were torn and dirty and she looked like she hadn't slept properly for days. I helped her and her friend down from the table and we made space for them to sit. I offered her my water, which she took with a grateful smile and they told us briefly what had happened. Everyone started to bomb them with questions, but fortunately Chiron saw how exhausted they were and ordered them to go to bed. We helped our sister to her bed and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. We followed suit, relieved that Gaia's awakening had been delayed somewhat. I felt much better knowing that we had been given time.

 

\---

 

  
The next moring I woke feeling much more refreshed than usual. The sun was peeking from behind the hills and gave Camp an orangish glow. I smiled as I listened to the birds chirping and stretched next to my bed before I fixed the covers neatly. Everyone was still sleeping peacefully so I did my morning routine as quietly as possible. As I was brushing my teeth, Drew came up behind me and pecked my cheek playfully, fixing her hair at the mirror. I washed my face and gave up my space to let Drew to the mirror, going to my bed to change. My siblings were stirring by the time I was done and It was close to breakfast so I went up to our newest hero's bed. She was sleeping so contently, I felt guilty for even thinking about waking her up, but I knew I had to if we wanted to get to breakfast in time. I shook her slightly, to which she mumbled something under her breath and opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times uncertainly before sitting up properly.

  
She narrowed her eyes at me unfocused "Uh. Good morning" she rubbed her eyes.

  
"Good morning" I smiled "I'm sorry to interrupt your sleep, but we will be late from breakfast" Drew came to stand next to me.

  
"And who are you?" she flicked her eyes from Drew to me.

  
"Oh. Golly. Where are my manners?" I offered my hand to her "Charlene Moon. Daughter of Aphrodite, your sister" she shook my hand with a small smile "Piper McLean" her eyes drifted back to Drew, who was just standing by my side with a relaxed expression.

  
"I believe I'm free to challenge you now Drew" I smiled slightly and folded my hands behind my back, watching the encounter, curious to see Drew's reaction.

  
Drew shrugged "No need. I'll step down willingly" Piper's eyebrows shot up and she blinked up at us with a dumbfounded look "You will step down?" Drew nodded "I realize that I'm not the best choice for the post of counselor, and since Chaz doesn't want to be one, I guess you will do a fine job" I hummed quietly at the use of the nickname.

  
Lacy and Mitchell grinned and we all congratulated Piper. She blushed, but smiled kindly and thanked us all for the support.

  
"Now that we are done with that, shall we bring the topic with us to the dining table?" I lifted an eyebrow as everyone turned to look at me.

  
"Sure. Let me change first" Piper changed into comfortable clothes and we all wandered to the dining pavilion to our table. I asked Piper to sit with me for a short discussion. Drew sat next to me at her usual spot, and Piper took seat in front of me. I smiled slightly, seeing my siblings with their usual happy mood returned, their banter and laugh once again filling the air.

  
"I don't think I've seen you before I left" Piper got my attention.

  
"I arrived after you left" I nodded and sipped my water.

  
"Was that you who opened the windows?" she smirked.

  
"Yeah. Count me guilty" I chuckled.

  
"They weren't as friendly when I was here last time" she turned to look at our siblings "Except Lacy and Mitchell" she smiled fondly at the two "I remember you being especially obnoxious" Piper looked pointedly at Drew, then kind of surprised "You have lost your plastic doll look" her eyebrows shot up, and she covered her mouth in mock horror.

  
I snorted a laugh, but then regretted it immediately when Drew elbowed my ribs "Ow. That hurt" I tried to look innocent as Drew glared at me. She turned back to Piper and shrugged "I always look amazing Pipes. I am a natural beauty" Piper hummed in return and munched some on her food. I sent Drew a pointed look, to which she sighed defeatedly "And, I'm sorry for being rude to you Piper. You already had enough on your plate and I didn't make it any better" she looked down in her lap.

  
"It's fine. We can start over" Drew sent her a grateful smile, and I squeezed her hand under the table.

  
"So. I know that you are the head counselor now, but there had been some significant changes to the Aphrodite Cabin since you were gone. I hope you won't mind. I made up a new schedule for every member of our cabin with Chiron and Clarisse in the favor of getting ourselves ready for the war that is coming" I said on a more serious note. Piper set her mouth in a thin line grimly and nodded.

  
"I agree. We only delayed Gaia's waking and we have a lot of preparing to do. Gaia has opened the Doors of death and the giants are rising we..." she faltered. I nodded grimly. She didn't have to say more.

  
"So you approve of my terms then?" she nodded.

  
"Actually...Would you be my co-head counselor? I only wanted to replace Drew because she seemed to be a bad influence on the cabin, and you seem perfect being in charge. No offense Drew" she looked apologically at her.

  
Drew shrugged "Non taken. In fact, I agree with you" she smiled at me, making my heart flutter in my chest.

  
I hummed and swirled the idea around my brain. I never thought of taking over the cabin partly, but Piper needed all the help she could get. I understood that and I wanted to help her in any way I could.

  
"If that's what you want, I am happy to help" we stood up momentarily and shook hands, our cabin mates cheering us on. Chiron sushed our table but sent me a knowing smile.

  
I went over the new schedule with Piper after breakfast and she joined us in some of our activities until she had to leave for and appointment at the Big House. The rest of our cabin had a sparring session with the Ares kids, then hand to hand combat practice. I was getting really goot at weilding my sword and even challenged two Ares kids at once, getting them rid of their weapons succesfully in the end. My siblings cheered me on, flooding me with compliments, and Drew jumped in my arms, kissing me in front of everyone. At first our audience was a bit shocked, but they weren't judgemental, rather happy for us and congratulating for getting together, Clarisse smiling smugly at me and patting my back. Which meant we were offically a couple. I couldn't wipe off the stupid smile off my face for the whole afternoon, which Drew pointed out, but only smiled amused in return. I was ridiculously happy.

  
We were walking hand in hand when we took a break before the wall climbing and approached our siblings at the common area, who were watching something intensely. I turned my gaze in the direction they were looking and saw Piper sitting next to the blonde guy I saw in my dream.

  
"They are betting whether they are going to kiss or something" Drew whispered to me leaning closer.

  
I hummed in acknowledgement "I would bet they won't" they looked comfortable in each other's presence, but there was some confusion and awkwardness in their positures. Some groaned in unison when they left without a kiss and exchanged their bet money.

  
Drew rolled her eyes at their antics but It gave me a small laugh. We spent a good amount of time walking in comfortable silence until Chrion called the counselor meeting together, announcing the arrival of Annabeth Chase and Elizabeth Rachel Dare. I left Drew with an apologetic kiss and joined Piper at the Big House.

  
The meeting was nothing I could have imagined. It was held in a room with a ping pong table, all cabin counselors surrounding it, some feeding sausages to a stuffed leopard head hanging off the wall. The Oracle, Rachel Dare, was standing next to Chiron in his wheelchair, wearing a school uniform, which seemed quite odd considering the circumstances, but I guessed it could be weirder. Annabeth Chase wore an armor over her Camp T-shirt and her dagger hang from her waist. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and her stormy calculating eyes seemed to stab the guy I saw Piper with earlier, Jason Grace. The latino boy, Leo Valdez, was standing next to him, Piper and me following. Clarisse had her boots on the table next to me, which seemed okay with everyone so I shrugged internally, and one guy was trying to fit pencils into an other's nostrils as he slept. Two girls were chasing each other around, one holding something that looked like a nose.

  
Chiron captured everyone's attention and opened the meeting, telling everyone to settle down. Jason, Leo and Piper explained what had happened in the last few days in greater detail and finished with Jason telling about Hera's visit in his cabin.

  
Jason and Annabeth seemed to have some kind of silent fight, strictly with glaring at each other deadly. While I could see why there would be trust issues, I found that the timing was very bad to rival like that.

  
"Long story short, there are two camps deviding Roman and Greek demigods. Jason got switched with Percy Jackson in the hope of uniting the two camps to defeat the forces of Gaia and the earth mother herself. So Percy is now probably at this other camp without any memory, the same way Jason got here" I summed up. Annabeth blinked at me and narrowed her eyes.

  
"Yes. That's the theory. But how did you know that? We haven't mentioned anything like that" she looked stiff and jumpy, probably stressed out over finding her boyfriend and the whole mess over Gaia.

  
"I put the pieces together. I observe and come to a conclusion based on the facts" I shrugged.

  
Annabeth's positure became slightly more relaxed and she nodded "We haven't met before. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and head counselor of the Athena Cabin"

  
"Charlene Moon, daughter of Aphrodite, co-head counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin with Piper" I nodded back.

  
"So...Romans huh? Do you really expect us to trust them?" Clarisse threw the leopard head a sausage.

  
Chiron told us about the tragedies of when Greek demigods came across Roman demigods, which didn't brighten the mood, except for Clarisse and Rachel, who didn't look bothered by any of it. We all agreed that the best shot would be if Leo and the Hephaestus Cabin built the Argo II and the ones from the prophecy sailed to the Roman camp, and Percy and Jason would smooth things out between the two side. We had six moths for all of that until the summer solstice.

  
Chiron put an end to the meeting and we all left for lunch. We met our cabin with Piper at the dining pavilion at our table. We sat the way we did at breakfast, Drew next to me at the end of the table, Piper in front of me. I could see Jason alone at the Zeus table and I felt kind of bad for the guy.

  
"So...six months. Would you like to train with us until then Piper?" she seemed unsure what she wanted, so I thought it would be the best to ask her.

  
"Yes. Of course. If it goes down to that, I will fight beside you" she smiled gratefully and I nodded.

  
"Charlene Moon" Annabeth was standing next to our table, seemingly changed into fresh clothes and without her armor, but her dagger hang at her side nevertheless "May I speak to you?" I nodded and excused myself from dinner and followed Annabeth to the lake. Naiads were giggling and spalshing around in the water, the reflection of the retreating sun dancing on the surface.

  
"You seem to know an awful lot for someone who only arrived a few days ago" there was an edge to her voice I found unsettling.

  
"Well, I like puzzles. Grover told me about Percy's disappearance and how Piper and her friends came here directly after that, Jason using Roman terms and without any memory of his past, except his name. Greeks and Romans were both great ancient cultures and their gods had a lot in common, except for the fact that Romans were more focused on war and Greeks cherished culture more. Roman gods and godesses were named after planets and such, but they were a lot like Greek deities. After getting to know about a Greek camp, I didn't find it hard to believe that there is a Roman camp. Jason backed up my hypothesis. I figured that if Jason was sent here, then Percy would be at the other camp" I shrugged "It all makes sense when you think about it enough" Annabeth's face was unreadable, but she didn't look like she wanted to stab me anymore. That was good.

  
"That...is a very good deduction" she nodded and turned to look across the lake "How do you know so much about ancient cultures?"

  
"I like to read. And my foster dad's an expert on ancient cultures. I often attend to his lectures. Plus I find it fascinating" she didn't answer, and I could see tears rolling down her cheek.

  
"Wherever your boyfriend is, from what I gathered, he can take care of himself. He might not remember who he is, but I'm sure he remembers you. You have to try to be strong for him until you reunite" I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  
She sniffed and turned around to face me "You really think so?" I nodded and smiled.

  
"Clarisse told me Percy has a Celestial bronze sword. Riptide" she nodded. I detached my beltbuckle and pressed the aquamarine shell in the middle until it clicked and transformed into my sword. I handed it carefully Annabeth, who was gawking and running her hand over the double blade and the ancient Greek letters.

  
"It does look a lot like Riptide. Though I can feel it's warded very heavily with strong magic. I've never seen letters like these ones" she said breathlessly as she traced the letters "Where did you get it?" she handed it back to me and I turned it into its beltbuckle form.

  
"Aphrodite convinced her husband to forge it when I was a baby and blessed it. She left it with me when she put me up for adoptation. It kept me hidden from monsters and such until I met Grover" she nodded and folded her arms "I only started wearing it when I was around nine years old but didn't know about its powers. Do you think it's a coincidence?" I doubted it was, but I wanted to hear her opinion as well. She was the daughter of the wisdom godess and an experienced demigod afterall.

  
She pursed her lips grimly "I don't think it is. It never is" she sighed "But I don't see the connection just yet. But...do you know who your real father was?" she tilted her head.

  
"Now that you mention it, Aphrodite didn't tell me. She said he is dead. Nothing more"

  
"Maybe your real father is connected somehow" she chewed on her lower lip, brows furrowed in concentration. I knew this conversation wasn't going to lead us much further, plus I was hungry.

  
"Now, we should get back to our dinner or it will go cold. We will have plenty of time to think about it later" we walked back to the dining pavilion in comfortable silence until we reached my table and we parted ways. I sat back next to Drew and started to munch on my food again. Piper and Drew were both looking at me expectantly, so I swallowed the food in my mouth.

  
"What?" I looked between them.

  
"Well? What did she want?" Drew prepped her head up on the table, Piper nodding her agreement.

  
"Not much. Just wanted to know how I figured out the whole hero switching business" Drew snorted.

  
"She looked like she wanted to murder you" Piper noted and pointed at me.

  
"She always looks like she wants to murder someone. Especially since Percy disappeared, well, got kidnapped and brainwashed by Hera in this case" it did sound horrible when Drew said it like that.

  
"I'm in one piece and we talked it out so no need to marvel on that" I shrugged "What we should think about is tomorrow's practice. Clarisse offered to spar with most of our cabin. It will be interesting, to say the least" Drew frowned.

  
"Don't worry, she won't crush any of you" I chuckled "She just wants to help. We should appreciate it"

  
"And we appreciate that just fine, but we never were warriors in the first place. Don't you think we need a bit more practice?" she bit her lip.

  
"In my opinion, you can learn the most by failing first. If that's what you are concerned about. Though, you've became pretty good at kicking ass over the last few days" that got me a small smile from Drew and I squeezed her hand. We continued to eat in comfortable silence until dinner was over and we all sat around the campfire. The mood was cozy and cheerful once again, campers singing ridiculous songs and having a good time in general. Drew was snuggled up tight to my side, her head resting on my shoulder and our hands intertwined in my lap. It felt really nice to be a part of a bigger family. I love my parents, don't get me wrong, but I never thought I would feel so much at home with my extended family.

  
"Chaz" Drew's voice brought me back to the present "Would you escort me back to our cabin?" she smiled playfully.

  
I raised an eyebrow questioningly "Now? But the campfire's not out yet" she rolled her eyes and made a move to stand up.

  
"Yes, now. Are you coming?" she offered her hand.

  
I took it, but slightly hesitantly and a bit suspiciously. We left as quietly and unnoticably as possible and made the short walk back to our cabin. Once inside, Drew pulled me into a kiss instantly, and I pulled her closer without objections, deepening the kiss. She withdrew and locked the front door of the cabin with an old, rusty looking key, smirking with a raised eyebrow "So. You said if you had the time, you would kiss every inch of my body. You have thirty minutes tops to do something about it before our siblings return" I yelped as she pushed me down onto my bed and straddled my waist.

  
My breath hitched and I had to gulp down the lump in my throat, seeing Drew sit on me, her silky black hair falling over her shoulders, her warm eyes sparkling, her cheeks slightly flushed. I thought if I ever decided to draw something realistic, I would definitely start by capturing the beauty of Drew, her soft curves.

  
I realised that I was only staring at her, and flipped us so that she was lying under me. I dove in and kissed her with all my might. I drank in all the little sounds she made as I caressed every part of her body I could reach. I moved from her mouth to her neck and down to her collarbone. Once I wasn't satisfied with the amount of skin I could reach with my mouth, I pulled at the hem of her orange T-shirt and pulled it over her head. I leant down and kissed down from her shoulder to the strap of the sports bra she was wearing, and looked up to her face for permission to take it off as well. She gave a small nod and helped me get rid of it. As soon as it came off, I leant back to admire the sight. Her skin was flawless, her bare chest flushed and heaving with every labored breath she took.

  
"Take yours off too" she averted my eyes and fidgeted with the covers at her side, pulling at my shirt. She looked slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't try to hide her body. I hummed. It was true. Staring is rude, and being the fully dressed one is unfair, so I pulled my own shirt over my head and yanked it off with one swift motion. I attacked her lips again and hugged her close to me, the feeling of skin on skin contact sending pleasant tingles down my spine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her hands in my hair, letting out small breathless sounds against my mouth as our tongues and bodies slid together. I slid my thigh between her legs and she ground down on me, moaning softly into my mouth. I moved back down to kiss and lick at her collarbone, leaving small bites as I wandered lower and lower, finally reaching her breasts. I licked around one of her nipples, watching her face twist in pleasure, letting out small whimpers and moans. While I licked and nipped at one, I rubbed the other numb with one hand, caressing her thigh under her shorts with the other hand.

  
"Half...an...hour...is...not...even...remotely...enough...time...to kiss...every...inch...of...your...skin" I spoke between licks and nips, smirking at how responsive and sensitive her body was despite her teasing earlier. I moved even further down to her abdomen, licking down a path to the waistband of her shorts, teasing the skin there. I couldn't get over how smooth her skin was and how good she tasted. I moved back up to lick and nip at her nipples again, pressing my thigh further between her legs and squeezing her butt under her shorts.

  
"Oh g-gods...C-Chaz" she whined and her hands tightened in my hair, pulling me back up to her mouth. She kissed me sloppily, having barely enough air to keep our mouths together for a few seconds. I pulled back and let her rest against the covers and catch her breath. She smiled up at me lazily, and I couldn't help but reach down and caress her cheeks. She closed her eyes in return and sighed in content as I smoothed a hand up and down her side.

  
"I wasn't too forward, was I?" I couldn't help but feel concerned, and bit my lower lip.  
"Not at all" she opened her eyes "I asked for it. I didn't think you were so good though. You have a skilled tongue" I averted her gaze and cleared my throath "I followed my insitcts and did what I thought would make you feel good. So...it was good for you?" I laid down beside her and hugged her close.

  
"You were amazing, and I can't wait to have more of you to myself" she pecked my cheek and sighed, snuggling up close to me and smoothed her hand down my abdomen, my muscles curling in anticipation.

  
"We should probably get dressed for bed. The others will be back soon" I sighed lazily.

  
"Would you mind if I slept with you here?" she looked up at me with pleading eyes.

  
"I would be happy to sleep with you. If you don't mind the small space, that is" I smiled and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

  
"You will just have to hold me close then" she beamed and jumped up to change into her sleeping clothes and unlock the front door. I followed suit and slipped into my sleeping clothes and we snuggled up together in my bed. By the time the others returned, we were already asleep, feeling content in each other's warmth, not minding the curious looks and knowing smiles we got as we held each other in our sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed my goof if you had the patience to read the whole thing :D  
> This chapter is ridiculously long so kudos to you if you didn't give up halfway through  
> Anyway, thank you for reading!


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